Linguist:
* Focus: Primarily interested in the structure and function of language itself.
* Methods: Analyze language through a variety of methods, including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.
* Areas of study: Language variation, language change, language acquisition, language typology, computational linguistics, and language documentation.
* Examples of research topics: How languages change over time, the relationship between sound and meaning, the different ways languages are structured, how computers can process language.
Linguistic Anthropologist:
* Focus: Interested in the relationship between language and culture. They explore how language shapes social interactions, cultural values, and identity.
* Methods: Use ethnographic methods, including participant observation, interviews, and discourse analysis.
* Areas of study: Language and social interaction, language and identity, language and power, language ideologies, language and gender, language and ritual.
* Examples of research topics: How language is used to negotiate power in a community, how language reflects cultural values, how language is used to create social bonds and maintain group identity.
Similarities:
* Both linguistic anthropologists and linguists study language.
* They often use similar analytical tools and methods.
* They are interested in the diversity of human languages and their variations.
Key Difference:
The key difference is in the scope of their focus:
* Linguists: Focus on the internal structure and function of language.
* Linguistic Anthropologists: Focus on the social and cultural significance of language.
In summary:
While both linguistic anthropologists and linguists study language, linguistic anthropologists take a broader view, exploring the ways in which language shapes and reflects human societies and cultures.