Living Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology

Revised and updated, the 2nd Edition of Living Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology presents an accessible introduction to the study of language in real–life social contexts around the world through the contemporary theory and practice of linguistic anthropology. Without oversimplifying key concepts and principles, author Laura M. Ahearn continues to reveal the full richness and complexity of this important anthropological branch of study in a succinct and easily digestible manner. Topics covered include language and gender, race, and ethnicity; language acquisition and socialization in children and adults; language death and revitalization; performance; language and thought; literacy practices; and multilingualism and globalization. This edition also features an all–new chapter focusing on multimodal communication including gestures, sign languages, and other forms of non–verbal language. While introducing readers to the fascinating field of linguistic anthropology, Ahearn accentuates the value of an ethnographically grounded approach to the study of language. This second edition of Living Language offers illuminating insights into the myriad ways language influences and shapes cultural norms and social interactions and its increasing relevance in the 21st–century globalized world. 

Laura M. Ahearn is an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow serving as a Senior Learning Advisor in the U.S. Agency for International Development s Center of Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance. She is the author of Invitations to Love: Literacy, Love Letters, and Social Change in Nepal (2001) and is the Series Editor Oxford Studies in the Anthropology of Language.