Papers by Alessandro Duranti
Several ways in which the speech event may constitute a frame for performing and interpreting a p... more Several ways in which the speech event may constitute a frame for performing and interpreting a particular speech genre are illustrated in the Samoan "fono," a meeting of chiefs and orators. In this event, both the organization of verbal interaction and the particular kind of language used by participants is distinct from the participants' conversations in other social situations. The turn-taking rules are different, the lexicon is specially suited for the context, different terms are used for differentiating statuses and ranks, and the morphology and syntax are distinctive. Within the event itself, native speakers differentiate two types of speech: "lauga" and "talanoaga," and the terms used for this distinction in the fono speeches also refer to but do not match types of speech found outside the fono, illustrating again that the speech event is a key to interpreting the genres in each case. This is related to the notion of verbal art as performance: despite their structural similarities, two instances of the same speech genre are both performed by the speechmaker and perceived by the audience in a different way. (MSE)
L'Homme, 2009
Distribution électronique Cairn pour les Éditions de l'EHESS. © Éditions de l'EHESS. Tous droits ... more Distribution électronique Cairn pour les Éditions de l'EHESS. © Éditions de l'EHESS. Tous droits réservés pour tous pays. La reproduction ou représentation de cet article, notamment par photocopie, n'est autorisée que dans les limites des conditions générales d'utilisation du site ou, le cas échéant, des conditions générales de la licence souscrite par votre établissement. Toute autre reproduction ou représentation, en tout ou partie, sous quelque forme et de quelque manière que ce soit, est interdite sauf accord préalable et écrit de l'éditeur, en dehors des cas prévus par la législation en vigueur en France. Il est précisé que son stockage dans une base de données est également interdit.
Building on the author's participant observation in academic leadership roles over the last two d... more Building on the author's participant observation in academic leadership roles over the last two decades, this article reviews four areas of engagement for anthropology within the larger context of US higher education: a) fundraising; b) training and placing of students; c) the so-called 'corporate turn' and its alleged effects on current evaluation measures; and d) the popularity of anthropology among college students in the context of a highly self-critical discourse among professional anthropologists and a challenging academic job market. On the basis of the data presented, I argue that (1) fundraising activities are nothing new in anthropology and might play a role in continuing to support a holistic view of anthropology, (2) programs in anthropology should embrace rather than be skeptical of the potential for the employment of anthropologists in other fields or non-academic professions, (3) being students of society, anthropologists should be more engaged in the running of the university including its financial aspects and should teach their students to be more entrepreneurial, and (4) the applied and public aspects of anthropological research should be foregrounded and rewarded.
Journal of Pragmatics, Feb 1, 2002
Springer eBooks, 1997
dive~ cultural framework!~ inform the organization of literacy activities of this and oth~;r ethn... more dive~ cultural framework!~ inform the organization of literacy activities of this and oth~;r ethnic communities. Multiculturalism is a pervasive social rea!Hy whose complexities have boggled the minds of social scientists and educators for decades. In characteri7Jng and disentangling the diverse cultural threads that compose heterogeneous communitie.. three common misconceptions of multiculturalism persist. We examine these misconceptions before discussing syncretic literacy. Misconception #1: La ngu age Is a P r ecise Indicator of Cultur al O r ienta tion Multiculturalism is commonly identified with multilingualism. It is entirely intuitive to link language and cultural orientation. After all, as we acquire linguistic competence, we are al the same lime being socialized into cuHural competence, a process we call language socialization (Ochs & Schieffclin, 1984; Schicffelin & Ochs, 19B6). Language is the most important semiotic tool for representing, transmilling, and creating social order and cultural world views. Furthermore, in linguistically heterogeneous communities, choice of a particular language is often intimately lied to a desire on the part of interlocutors to instantiate for that particular interactional moment a set of sociocultural relationships, institutions, activities, topics, concepts, ideologies, expectations, and values (Blom & Gumpc17~ 1972; Gal, 1987; Hill & Hill, 1986; Kroskrity, 1993; Macpherson, 1991). ln these cases, code-switching is an analog of cultureswitching. In other cases. however, cultural orientation may not correspond to co<.le orientation. As wiiJ be demonstrated in the present study, multiculturalism may in fact pervade the usc of what appears as a single code. In the Samoan
BRILL eBooks, Dec 20, 1979
Grammatical Information. Subject-verb agreement inflection conveys information about the subject,... more Grammatical Information. Subject-verb agreement inflection conveys information about the subject, for example, person, number, and (sometimes) gender. Consider the following verb paradigms: (3) (4) corr-o run (1st sing.) '(I) run.' corr-i run (2nd sing.) '(you sg.) run.' corr-e run (3rd sing.) '(she/he/it) runs.' e stanc-o is tired (masc. sing.) '(he) is tired.' e stanc-a is tired (fem. sing.) '(she) is tired.' corr-iamo run (1st plural) '(we) run.' corr-ete run (2nd plural) '(you pl.) run.' corr-ono run (3rd plural) '(they) run.' sono stanch-i (they) are tired (masc. plural) '(They masc.) are tired.' so no stanch-e (they) are tired (fem. plural) '(they fem.) are tired.' 6 The fact that we found no examples of such constructions does not necessarily mean that they are "impossible" or ungrammatical. However, it does say, at least, that such constructions, if used, would probably have quite different environments and/or functions from LDs. Cinque (1977) discusses some (potential) differences between sentences in which the left-dislocated noun has a co-referential full pronoun (e.g., /ui), which he calls "hanging topics," and the constructions discussed in this paper as LD.
Anthropological Theory, Mar 1, 2010
In this article, the notion of intersubjectivity is reexamined by going back to its original form... more In this article, the notion of intersubjectivity is reexamined by going back to its original formulation by the philosopher Edmund Husserl at the beginning of the 20th century. On the basis of a careful reading of Husserl's books and lecture notes, four claims are put forward that help clarify in what sense intersubjectivity is a broader and more fundamental notion than currently assumed in the social sciences. In particular, it is argued that for Husserl intersubjectivity is more than shared or mutual understanding and is closer to the notion of the possibility of being in the place where the Other is. Furthermore, intersubjectivity is the source of objectivity and not always or necessarily something to be achieved or negotiated through verbal communication or other means. In fact, in its most basic sense, Husserlian intersubjectivity includes a mode of participation in the natural and material world that does not even require an immediately perceivable human presence. Following this discussion, it is suggested that the full range of meanings of intersubjectivity found in Husserl's writings can be used as the basis for a study of the human condition that has a chance to unite all subfields of anthropology as practiced in the US. With this goal in mind, six related but distinct domains of intersubjectivity are proposed.
Studies in Language, 1990
This report introduces the concept of syncretic literacy by examining an exchange in which a 6-ye... more This report introduces the concept of syncretic literacy by examining an exchange in which a 6-year-old Samoan-American boy, in his urban Los Angeles (California) home, involves members of his extended family to complete homework. The study illustrates how English is sometimes used in ways that are consistent with the socialization practices typical of traditional learning environments in the home country and how different family members adopt distinct cultural strategies in their interaction with the boy within the same activity. Traditional Samoan-American learning environments aie described, especially in syncretic literacy instruction settings, and the text includes photographs from the videotaped home environment. Findings contradict two common misconceptions of multiculturalism: that language is a precise indicator of cultural orientation, and that members of multicultural communities are in one culture at a time. In this home environment, syncretic literacy accoun'Ls for the ways in which a language is used for distinct cultural practices and the ways in which different cultural practices are merged within the same literacy activity. (Contains 48 references.) (NAV)
Pacific studies, Dec 1, 1992
... office]&#x27; 420 &#x27;ua mãlõ Lujilufi. (2.5) &#x27;Lufilufi will have won.&... more ... office]&#x27; 420 &#x27;ua mãlõ Lujilufi. (2.5) &#x27;Lufilufi will have won.&#x27; 421 ?; malie! &#x27;Well said!&#x27; [. . 486 Moe&#x27;ono; auã e vaivai Iuli &#x27;Because [if] Iuli is weak&#x27; 487 &#x27;ou ke vaivai fo&#x27;i. &#x27;I am also weak.&#x27; 488 ?; malie! &#x27;Well said!&#x27; These rhetorical figures ...
On the basis of research on the Samoan American community of urban Los Angeles, the authors argue... more On the basis of research on the Samoan American community of urban Los Angeles, the authors argue against two common misconceptions of multiculturalism: (1) that language is a precise indicator of cultural orientation; and (2) that members of multicultural communities are in one culture at a time. The notion of syncretic literacy is introduced to account for the ways in which the same language (in this case, Samoan or English) can be used for distinct cultural practices and the ways in which different cultural practices can be merged within the same literacy activity. This report examines an exchange in which a six-year-old Samoan American boy involves members of his extended family in completing his homework. We see that English is sometimes used in ways that are consistent with the socialization practices typical of traditional learning environments in the home country and that different family members adopt distinct cultural strategies in their interaction with the boy within the same activity. MULTICULTURALISM In this report, we examine the multicultural organization of literacy instruction within the Samoan American community of urban Los Angeles. In particular, we introduce the concept of syncretic literacy as a framework for analyzing how diverse cultural practices inform the organization of literacy activities of this and other ethnic communities.
Wiley eBooks, Aug 19, 2011
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in p... more Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Designations used by companies to clistinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product' names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated vvith any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a compet~t professional should be sought.
Ricerche di psicologia, 2004
Phenomenology and The Cognitive Sciences, Nov 5, 2014
Your article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by Springer Science +B... more Your article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by Springer Science +Business Media Dordrecht. This e-offprint is for personal use only and shall not be selfarchived in electronic repositories. If you wish to self-archive your article, please use the accepted manuscript version for posting on your own website. You may further deposit the accepted manuscript version in any repository, provided it is only made publicly available 12 months after official publication or later and provided acknowledgement is given to the original source of publication and a link is inserted to the published article on Springer's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The final publication is available at link.springer.com".
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Papers by Alessandro Duranti
Unpublished paper presented at the 1982 Meetings of the American Anthropological Association, in Washington, DC.