Small Scale Ethnographic
Over the decades, the impact of language on culture has been continually debated. The main reason is because there are different views among ethnographic researchers. What has been happening is a host of studies were introduced in the 1970's by Dr. Noam Chomsky. He determined that language does not have any kind of effect on the way people think. This is based on the fact that everyone will put their sentences and ideas together in similar patterns. As a result, Chomsky theorized that language will have minimal effects on thoughts and behavior. This is when he suggested that universal standards could be created that will integrate the various languages down to one. (Bordotsky 2010)
However since the 1990's, scientists have been challenging these views. The main reason is because in spite of Chomsky's ideas, language was still having an impact on behavior. A good example of this can be seen by comparing English with Russian. In English, the tense of verbs is used to symbolize individual possession and different forms of action. However, in Russian, the tense and gender of verbs are denoted in a similar pattern. While at the same time the person must decide if a particular setting is completed or not (to determine the formality of usage). This is important in showing how the use of language will have an impact on individual beliefs. (Bordotsky 2010)
Once more people begin to utilize these techniques, is when this will have an effect on culture. As a result, this is showing how there are conflicting theories about the effect of language on traditions. To fully understand what is taking place requires conducting a research study that will examine the way language is influencing culture. This will be accomplished by focusing on: the research question / sub-questions, conducting a brief literature review, looking at how the research will be conducted, the plan for participation, the techniques of data collection and the limitations of the research. Together, these...
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