anthropology
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fw__anthro_essays.zipANTHRO309_FahadAlkhayarin_PreliminaryEssay1.rtf
1
Fahad Alkhayarin
Preliminary Essay 1
Anthro 309
Beyond Translation: Review of Book
Alton L. Becker is an American linguist who studied various Southeast Asian cultures and studied many culture from these region. Some of the languages he learned include Malay, Burmese, Indonesian, and Javanese. In his book, Beyond Translations: Essays Toward a Modern Philology, Becker describes the experiences being fully integrated in these cultures so that he can make an accurate ethnographic portrayal of them. Becker utilizes a ‘participant observation’ type approach, where he directly engages with these communities and analyzes language and culture from this perspective. The strategy that Becker uses includes both positives and negatives. However, his ultimate goal is to illustrate how language is not just words spoken from a person’s mouth, but actually a way to transcend culture from generation to generation. Beyond Translations: Essays Toward a Modern Philology is a collection of work written by Alton L. Becker that analyzes language from perspectives of various cultures. The lessons learned from Becker’s experience can be applied to contemporary American society in both personal and professional environments.
The approach of ‘participant observation’ that Becker utilizes for his ethnographic research comes with several strengths for analysis. The use of participant observation allowed Becker to truly understand how unique each culture he studied was perceived as. Becker defined this as the particular nature of his research. For example, when being immersed in a Burmese culture for years, Becker reminisces about the particularity of a song that a child sang to him. According to Becker, “I think the particularity of it made it memorable. It came with so much particular context: the other teachers, the written words, the children singing, the familiar tune, the rhymes, the story” (1995). Becker lived in each of the cultures he studied for a significant amount of time (several months to a couple of years). By doing this, he was truly able to grasp the culture of each group and develop a sense of how one culture was different from the rest. Even though he understood that there were similarities in the culture he studied because they were from the same part of the world, the particular nature of each experience allowed Becker to differentiate each culture effectively. Another strength with Becker’s research was his ability to tie in his previous experiences understanding American language. “Looking outside of my own languaging helped me to see that much of my way of knowing the world, and acting in it, is shaped by the texts I was born into” (1995). Becker’s analysis of language and how it interacts within a culture can be understood from a universal standpoint. Growing up in the United States, language shaped an experience that was unique to his own life. Becker understood that the same language experience is applicable to all cultures throughout the world. He knew that he needed to respect language in a way that was different from culture to culture. By doing this, Becker would able to maximize the effectiveness of his research. Through the use of participant observation, Becker was able to directly engage with each culture he studied. This allowed him to analyze how language and culture and interrelated in each society.
Much like there were many positives associated with Becker’s methods of studying various cultures, there were also limitations presented in his strategy. One limitation is the aspect of oral tradition that encapsulated certain cultures. Becker did not realize the importance of oral tradition after many years into his study. “After many years it became clear to me that distant languages are difficult because there are not shared prior texts: one has to build a new memory in Burmese, Javanese, or Malay. It won’t do to speak these languages out of an English memory. Although Becker spent significant time in each of these locations, the time he spent was not enough in developing a ethnographic accord for each culture. Without prior written texts, Becker’s analysis would only be supported by the experiences he developed. Becker would not be able to integrate how each society interacted several centuries ago. As a result, Becker’s analysis is only relevant in the time period that he observed. Another limitation with Becker’s research revolves around the concept of memory. Specifically, the inability for Becker to ‘restock memories’ made it difficult for him to compare present-day culture with how they behaved in the past. “Languages differ in the silences they practice, in the way they make your face look, in the images of context they shape. But beyond those things, the biggest reasons Burmese (and other cultures) is hard have to do with memory” (1995). Although Becker was able to live in Burma for more than three years, this amount of time was not substantial enough to allow him to develop a type of ‘lingual memory’ that is needed to preserve the memories of the cultures he studied. Becker would have needed to be in the Burmese culture since he was born in order to create an accurate representation of language and culture evolving over time. However, Becker was limited in the amount of time he spent in each culture he studied. The concepts of oral traditions and memory are two concepts that prevented Becker from truly developing a thorough, linguistic analysis of these Southeast Asian cultures he studied.
From a practical standpoint, the findings of Becker in Beyond Translations: Essays Toward a Modern Philology can definitely be used in American society, as well as other societies all over the world. A key aspect of Becker’s findings was his description of language as a continuous and developing idea. As Becker states, “A language is a system of rules or structures, which relates meanings and sounds, both of which are outside it. A language is essentially a dictionary and a grammar” (1995). Language is not just a bunch of words that is said from a person’s mouth, but it also helps facilitate shaping contexts, storing communication, and retrieving ideas from various individuals. Becker claims how the spoken words of language are important, but also the idea of “silence” is just as equally important. Silence primarily involves a nonverbal form of communication that is significant in all societies. For example, facial gestures, hand movements, and other actions convey messages and meaning without having to say a word. The concept of language encompassing both verbal and nonverbal forms of communication is critical in societies like the United States. For example, in professional settings, nonverbal communication is critical when dealing with supervisors or during the interview process for a job. When it comes to dealing with supervisors, nonverbal communication involves having a positive attitude and having energy to complete tasks. Supervisors see nonverbal communication just as strong as words that are spoken. Also, during the interview process, employers look at nonverbal communication as a way to separate excellent candidates from the rest of the group. Examples of important nonverbal communication cues include sitting upright, maintaining eye contact, leaning forward showing a sign of interest, and having a firm handshake. Becker’s findings from various Southeast Asian cultures can be applied to modern-day American society. This shows how Becker’s research can be applied to various personal and professional situations.
The book Beyond Translation: Essays Toward a Modern Philology provides an accounted history of Alton Becker’s experiences living in various cultures in Southeast Asia. Through participant observation, Becker was able to live harmoniously in each culture for a significant amount of time. From his findings, Becker was able to determine how language and culture are intertwined. However, the lack of written text from each culture made it difficult for Becker to provide a thorough analysis how culture and language has evolved over time. These cultures primarily communicated through oral tradition and developing personal memories. Nonetheless, the findings of Becker have significant application in other cultures such as the United States. Both personal and professional situations can use Becker’s findings as a way to highlight the important of language and different forms of communication.
References
Becker, Alton L. (1995). Beyond Translation: Essays Toward a Modern Philology.
University of Michigan Press: Ann Arbor, MI. Print.
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ANTHRO309_Ghanim Alnuaimi_PreliminaryEssayI.rtf
Ghanim Alnuaimi
Essay #1
Anthro 309
Essay #1: Review of Beyond Translation
The book Beyond Translation: Essays toward a Modern Philology is a collection of essays written by Becker about his experiences living in various Southeast Asian countries and detailing what he learned from each of those cultures. Specifically, Becker learned languages such as Burmese, Thai, Indonesian, and Malay, and he tried to learn them in order to understand what history and feelings these languages evoke to non-native speakers. The approach by Becker comes with many strengths and weaknesses in terms of how learning languages is a way of understanding different cultures. Becker’s book Beyond Translation: Essays toward a Modern Philology can be analyzed through various strengths and weaknesses; however, Becker’s methods can be used as a learning experience to understand the effect of language throughout various cultures.
Becker’s methods in analyzing the language and culture of various societies come with several strengths. One of Becker’s methodologies that can be considered a strength is his ability to live in a particular culture for several months in order to be integrated in that culture. “After three years’ residence in the Shan States of Burma, I could ‘get along’ in Burmese. I spent many hours speaking in Burmese with my neighbors…” (Becker, p. 1). By living in the cultures he analyzed, Becker was able to truly understand the importance of language and communication by becoming an integrated member of society. This made his work more meaningful because he was able to obtain honest and original insight from people in those communities. He employed the same method in the other cultures he analyzed so that he can get a true sense of language and culture that embodied these societies. Another strength that Becker utilized is using the various books he read as an ethnographer and utilized these readings as a way to truly understand language. For example, Becker utilized teachings from one of his professors, Kenneth Boulding, as a way to better understand language. “In the book, Boulding lays the groundwork for a new science he calls eiconics, the study, in other words, of the shaping, storing, and retrieval, and communication of knowledge as images of context” (Becker, p. 9). Using the information he learned from Boulding, Becker was able to understand how language is not just about how words are spoken, but how language affects other environmental factors such as social relationships, the naturalistic environment, and emotions with the inner self. Through this knowledge, Becker understood that language was more complex than he initially realized. As a result, using the teaching he learned would strengthen his research moving forward. Becker’s ‘hand’s on’ approach to his research by living in the specific cultures he analyzed and also learning from the information taught by his professors helped strengthen the points he makes throughout his book Beyond Translations.
Although there were many ways that Becker’s methodologies strengthened his research, there were also some weaknesses that were evident in his tactics. One key weaknesses in his methods was doing all of his work in cultures located in the same region. As a result, there were similarities in the cultures that he studied which confused him at times. “I remembered knowing Burmese fairly well, but Indonesian and Javanese words were getting in the way now, and I was trying to put them aside and uncover Burmese” (Becker, p. 3). For some languages that Becker studied, the words were more meaningful than others based on oral traditions he learned about. It was difficult for him to isolate each language he learned due to similarity in cultures that were intertwined. Becker used a journal to write down his experiences so he would not forget them. However, part of his experience interacting with other members of a society is something that could not just be ‘written down on a piece of paper’. Remembering experiences interacting from different cultures can become muddled in the mind. This is something that Becker had to struggle with throughout his experience. Another weakness that Becker had to deal with was not fully adapting his form of language to marry the culture he was studying. This was evident in his ability to interact with the Burmese. “When I tried to tell a story in Burmese, I put in past time markers in imitation of English tense, and totally confused people. Time took on new distinctions, lost old ones” (Becker, p. 11). Becker did not realize that time would be another factor that would affect how language and storytelling would be accepted from culture to culture. The way that Becker approached storytelling from a Burmese perspective might be relevant years ago, but culture has changed significantly since then and the approach he used was not appropriate. The weaknesses the Becker developed through his research surrounded on his inability to separate the experience from the various cultures he studied and the inability of Becker to recognize how specific cultures have evolved over time.
Although Becker’s analysis of cultures has various strengths and weaknesses, the presentation of his findings provided a key learning experience for the reader. One key learning experience is the complex nature that language has within a given context. Language is not just words spoken from a person’s mouth. Instead, language conveys a medium to transform experiences into contexts in which they are studied. “Languaging, on the other hand, is context shaping. Languaging both shapes and is shaped by context. It is a kind of attunement between a person and a context. Languaging can be understood as taking old texts from memory and reshaping tem into present contexts” (Becker, p. 9). Becker’s research clearly defines the difference between language and languaging. From a grammatical standpoint, language is defined as a noun while languaging is defined as a verb. Language is a considered a “dictionary” of words and how they are spoken with respect to a grammatical structure. Languaging allows for a person to use language in a way to understand how culture is defined over time. As Becker defines, languaging is down on a particular level, which means that this practice is applied in a microscopic level. Another learning experience from Becker’s work can be seen in how it can be applied to contemporary time. For example, Becker’s ethnographic research is not just applicable from an anthropological standpoint, but it also can be applied to both personal and professional settings. From a personal standpoint, understanding the concept of languaging allows individuals to learn more about cultures they are not familiar with. For example, an American man can learn more about a Samoan individual by implementing languaging in a way to learn about the culture and history of Samoa. In a professional setting, understanding the process of languaging allows businesses to run more effectively. If a an American worker knows the culture of another non-American worker through the process of languaging, then there is a common understanding between the individuals. This understanding leads to greater respect and could potentially lead to a work friendship that might not have occurred if a common understanding of culture did not occur. The analysis that Becker provides in his essays do not just create learning experiences from a person standpoint, but they also create learning experiences from a professional standpoint as well.
An evaluation of Becker’s book Beyond Translation: Essays toward a Modern Philology illustrates how Becker’s essays have relevance in both the anthropological setting and also the contemporary setting. Becker’s analysis of studying various cultures has both strengths and weaknesses intertwined in them. In addition, the findings of Becker help create various learning experiences for the reader as well. One key concept is the idea of languaging and how this concept can be applied to both personal and professional applications. Becker’s book helps understand how language and culture are intertwined. People need to understand this concept in order to respect other cultures they are not familiar with.
References
Becker, Alton L. (1995). Beyond Translation: Essays Toward a Modern Philology.
University of Michigan Press.
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Appraise your work against these standards.
Please type an X before the text of all applicable items so that I know you have seen and understood each one.
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- 4–5 pages for Preliminary Essay I and Preliminary Essay II
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The text is double-spaced.
Uses 1-inch margins top, bottom, left, and right.
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The instructor’s name is spelled correctly—or omitted.
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Assumes the proper audience—others currently enrolled in the course.
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- Avoids the use of long quotations.
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- Pursues a visible central theme.
Makes specific, concrete points along the way.
Maintains a clear sense of direction and development.
Uses strong topic sentences.
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- The order and content
Interconnected sections and paragraphs.
Divided into ordered paragraphs of reasonable length.
Between sentences within a paragraph.
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Points firmly supported with concrete and specific evidence.
brief quotations
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Meanings not vague or ambiguous.
Puts statements in positive form.
Uses declarative sentences.
Uses plain, straightforward sentence structure.
All clutter has been deleted.
Sentences of reasonable and varied length—neither too long nor too short, nor all the same.
Avoids the use of qualifiers and awkward adverbs.
Avoids clichés, slang, and colloquialisms.
Uses correct spelling and grammar.
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Essays that do not comply with all technical requirements will be rejected.
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A fee is required for resubmitting assignments.
Essays that comply with all technical requirements will then be graded according to both how well written and how interesting they are.
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To earn a C (76% of points possible), an essay must be at least – for both well written and interesting.
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ANTHRO309_MohamedAldosari_PreliminaryEssay1.rtf
Page 1
Mohammed Aldosari
Preliminary Essay 1
Wisdom Sits in Places – A Review
Keith H. Basso is a cultural and linguist anthropologist who primarily studied the Western Apache civilization in the southwest United States. His book, Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language among the Western Apache, discusses his interaction with Apache civilization and how he is able to develop the important concepts of language, culture, and society. In order to develop the most accurate analysis of his reports, Basso immersed himself in Apache culture for several years. This allowed him to be an integral part of Apache culture and not considered just an “outsider”. Through Basso’s methods of directly engaging in Apache culture, having both strengths and weaknesses, he developed a way of understanding language and culture that can be applied to communities that are not well-known by the individual.
The approach that Basso took in terms of directly engaging with the Apache people provided several strengths for his research. Basso believed that connecting with the Apache people directly would allow him to truly understand how culture and teaching is passed within this community. However, he could not just directly engage himself with this culture. Instead, the process of immersing into the Apache way of life went through the use of consultants. “The project had three parts: traveling with Apache consultants to hundreds of named localities in the Greater Cibecue region; talking with consultants, frequently at their homes and place-names they were familiar with, and listening with a newly sensitized ear to how place-names et used in daily conversation” (Basso, 1996). This approach to his research allowed the Apaches to see that Basso had a genuine intent to learn about their culture. Through the various storytelling that occurred in the book, the Apache saw that Basso was engaged in the process and traditions that surrounded these people. This allowed the Apache to feel very comfortable around Basso, who was considered an outsider since he was non-Apache. The ability for Basso to keep an open-mind and learning about what Apache constructions were also added another strength for his research. “Apache constructions of place reach deeply into other cultural spheres, including conceptions of wisdom, notions of morality, politeness and tact in forms of spoken discourse, and certain conventional ways of imaging and interpreting the Apache tribal past” (Basso, 1996). Basso had an open mind in trying to learn about how language, communication and wisdom are intertwined within the Apache culture. He hypothesized that this was different from the American culture he grew up in. By having this open-mindedness in the beginning, Basso was able to fully embrace the uniqueness of language and communication within the Apaches. Basso’s approach for his research was a major strength to his findings because he came into the Apache culture with an open mind and he wanted to be fully integrated within this community.
Although there were many strengths with the approach that Basso took with his research, he also encountered some limitations with his approach. One limitation with Basso’s approach was his lack of knowledge with certain phrases of the Apache culture. When Basso was first immersed in the Apache culture, he was unable to understand the meaning behind certain phrases. For example, the phrase ‘stalking with stories’ was something Basso was unfamiliar with. When he listened to stories from other Apache people, he did not see the clear idea of what stalking meant. “So someone stalks you and tells a story about what happened long ago. It doesn’t matter if other people are around, you’re going to know he’s aiming that story at you” (Basso, 1996). It took Basso a good amount of time before truly understanding what certain words and phrases meant in the Apache culture. As a result, it took Basso much longer to perform a thorough analysis of his research before coming up with relevant conclusions. Another limitation for Basso was that he had to basically start from scratch with his ethnographic research. Much of the culture and traditions performed by the Apache were done orally. Since Basso was only part of the culture during the time of his research, he could not use information years before his research was conducted because there was not written record of any data. The results of Basso’s research were limited in this regard. If he had access to information from previous generation of Apache, then his research could have yielded more detailed analysis and interpretation. Although there were many positives with the methods that Basso used in his research of the Apache people, there were also some limitations that prevented him from doing the best job possible.
Basso’s work with the Apache provides the reader with the importance of understanding how places are vital within the culture of certain communities. One key attribute that Basso used to explain his research was defining the concept of place-making. Place making is a strategy that the Apache utilized in order to remember significant locations. Basso described place making as an idea “created through historical imaginations, as well as remembering and imagining certain iterations in the mind” (1996). Place making also utilized the concept of constructing place-names to bring meanings to these locations. Basso claims that place-names were designed as ‘direct quotes’ from the ancestors of the Apache. Place-names helped bridge the history of a particular location between the past and present generations. Over time, Basso understood the importance of place-names and how they create importance to place making. Place-names allow for the Apache to truly remember the history of a certain place. “Consequently, Apaches explain, individuals need to be continuously reminded of why they were ‘shot’ in the first place and how they reacted to it at the time. Geographical sites, together with the crisp mental pictures of them presented by their names, serve admirably in this capacity…”(Basso, 1996). The importance of place making is relevant in a society where a written account of history is not applicable. Basso’s desire to highlight place making and deriving place-names is an important lesson for the reader to understand when it comes to studying cultures that are not common.
The experiences that Basso developed while studying the Apache do have tangible applications in the “real world”. One approach that Basso used that can be used in the “real world” is coming into a scenario with an open mind. When Basso first came in contact with the Apache people, he did not come with any preconceived opinions or ideas of these people. His mind was a “sponge” trying to absorb any knowledge from his experience. The concept of having an open minded can be applicable to personal and professional settings. Having an open minded can allow people to learn from cultures that are foreign to them. Within a professional setting, having an open mind allows an individual to work better with others and also coming up with new ideas that could be relevant for a certain project. Another approach of Basso that could be helpful in the “real world” is ability to give back to the Apache in meaningful way. Basso utilized the map-making process as a way to help the Apache remember certain locations with ease. Basso believed that providing a benefit for a culture would help the Apache preserve traditions and histories in a better way. The idea of trying to help other people is important when dealing with personal and professional relationships. Trying to help others increases your “network of people” so that you have a greater system of support at all times. The lessons learned from Basso’s experience with the Apache people can definitely be applied to “real world” situations.
The book Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language among the Western Apache details the interaction of Keith Basso with the Apache people. Basso wanted to create a written history of these people since their history has never been fully documented on paper. Basso used the approach of directly engaging the Apache so that he can be an integral member of their society. After not being defined as an outsider, Basso did a great job of understanding the nuances of Apache culture so that he could fully understand what culture meant to these people. Although there were strengths and weaknesses associated with his ethnographic approach, Basso was able to clearly define the importance of place making and creating place-names in order to enhance the Apache’s written history. Basso’s experiences also have direct application to both personal and professional settings in today’s society. Basso’s work with the Apache has great importance in the anthropological world and also with the current American society.
References
Basso, Keith H. (1996). Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language among the
Western Apache. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM. Print.
Essay Performance Report
Appraise your work against these standards.
Please type an X before the text of all applicable items so that I know you have seen and understood each one.
x complies with all technical requirements
- The essay is the required length
- 4–5 pages for Preliminary Essay I and Preliminary Essay II
7–8 pages for the Final Essay
The text is double-spaced.
Uses 1-inch margins top, bottom, left, and right.
Uses 12 pt. font: Arial or Tahoma.
The instructor’s name is spelled correctly—or omitted.
- x well-written
x Scholarly—Disciplined
- Relevant to the course.
- Related to course themes, concepts, and topics.
Assumes the proper audience—others currently enrolled in the course.
- Shows an understanding of course concepts.
- Shows evidence of sound thinking.
- Thorough, careful, accurate, precise, rational, convincing.
- Refers to particular pages and passages in the course readings.
- Avoids the use of long quotations.
X Focused
- Clear purpose and direction.
- Pursues a visible central theme.
Makes specific, concrete points along the way.
Maintains a clear sense of direction and development.
Uses strong topic sentences.
Excludes extraneous material
X Organized
- A purposely designed and unified structure governs
- The order and content
Interconnected sections and paragraphs.
Divided into ordered paragraphs of reasonable length.
Between sentences within a paragraph.
X Solid
- Claims made with confidence—to the point.
Points firmly supported with concrete and specific evidence.
brief quotations
arguments
x Clear
- Follows the principles of composition outlined in The Elements of Style.
- Sentence and word meanings plain and apparent.
Meanings not vague or ambiguous.
Puts statements in positive form.
Uses declarative sentences.
Uses plain, straightforward sentence structure.
All clutter has been deleted.
Sentences of reasonable and varied length—neither too long nor too short, nor all the same.
Avoids the use of qualifiers and awkward adverbs.
Avoids clichés, slang, and colloquialisms.
Uses correct spelling and grammar.
x interesting
- Captivating
- Attracts and maintains attention from start to finish.
- Title and section headings are arresting, informative, appropriate, and relevant.
- Encourages the reader to continue to a satisfying conclusion.
- Intelligent
- Insightful.
- Penetrating, profound, perceptive, original, thought-provoking
- Intellectually Enlarging.
- The reader learns something new.
Enhances the reader’s understanding of course concepts.
Evaluation Chart
Highlight in yellow the word or symbol that best represents your own evaluation of your performance.
You must perform at the level indicated for all three requirements to qualify for the corresponding grade.
Complies with All
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Interesting?
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No
No
No
D
–
–
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C
B
+
+
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A
Symbol Meaning
— not applicable
– questionable, doubtful, debatable
yes
+ definitely, without a doubt, unquestionably, undeniably
Essays that do not comply with all technical requirements will be rejected.
- They may be resubmitted at a later date.
A fee is required for resubmitting assignments.
Essays that comply with all technical requirements will then be graded according to both how well written and how interesting they are.
- To earn a D (66% of points possible), an essay must only comply with all technical requirements; it need not be well written or interesting.
To earn a C (76% of points possible), an essay must be at least – for both well written and interesting.
To earn a B (86% of points possible), an essay must be at least √ for both well written and interesting.
To earn an A (95-100% of points possible), an essay must be + for both well written and interesting.
