Linguistic Anthropology and Language Evolution

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Questions and Answers

What is unique about the Zuni language?

It is spoken in the Western Keresan region

It is spoken in the Rio Grande pueblos

It is a language isolate, not closely related to any other known language (correct)

It is part of the Keresan language family

Where is the Seri language spoken?

In the Zuni Pueblo

In the Rio Grande pueblos

Along the west coast of Sonora in Mexico and on Tiburon Island (correct)

In the Western Keresan region

What is the primary reason for the linguistic change and evolution of language families?

Migration of populations

Environmental factors

Cultural exchange between populations

Geographic separation of populations (correct)

What is the method used to estimate the time depth of languages?

Glottochronology Signup and view all the answers

Which language family has an enormous geographic distribution, stretching from Idaho to Central Mexico?

Uto-Aztecan Signup and view all the answers

How long have individual languages within the Uto-Aztecan family been separated from one another?

5,000 years Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following Rio Grande Pueblos speaks a Kiowa-Tanoan language?

Taos Signup and view all the answers

What is the language branch spoken by the Santa Clara, San Juan, San Ildefonso, Nambe, Tesuque, and Pojoaque Pueblos?

Tewa Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the group of Tewa speakers who migrated to the Hopi Mesas in the 17th century?

Hano Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the language family that includes the languages spoken by the Navajo and Western Apache?

Southern Athabaskan Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of hunter-gatherer subsistence in a mobile lifeway?

Seasonal movements between environmental zones to exploit available resources Signup and view all the answers

What is a common feature of tool kits used by nomadic groups?

Lightweight and portable tools Signup and view all the answers

What is a reason for nomadic groups to disperse into smaller groups?

To respond to food shortages Signup and view all the answers

What is a pattern of residence exhibited by some nomadic groups?

Bi-seasonal residence Signup and view all the answers

What is a key factor in determining the material culture of nomadic groups?

Mobility Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of Western Pueblos?

Emphasis on rain-making and harmony insured by the assistance of Kachina spirits Signup and view all the answers

What is a common feature among all Pueblo people?

Great continuity with the prehistoric past Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of Rancheria peoples?

Living in low desert settings Signup and view all the answers

What event occurred around A.D. 1300?

A great concentration of pueblo populations into a few selected locations Signup and view all the answers

What is true about the Spanish influence on Pueblo people?

It was greatest in the Eastern Pueblos and diminished in the Western Pueblos Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Language Families of the Southwest

There are thousands of years of linguistic change and evolution, mostly due to geographic separation of populations.
Individual language families have evolved separately from other families for 12,000 or more years.

Major Language Families of the Southwest

Uto-Aztecan:
- Enormous geographic distribution, stretching from Idaho to Central Mexico.
- Individual languages within this family have been separated from one another for about 5,000 years.
- Includes Hopi, Piman languages, Huichol, and several extinct languages of northern Mexico.
Kiowa-Tanoan:
- Consists of closely related languages spoken by people who live in some of the Rio Grande Pueblos in New Mexico.
- Languages have been separated by only two or three thousand years at most.
- Includes Taos, Picuris, Sandia, Isleta, Santa Clara, San Juan, San Ildefonso, Tesuque, Nambe, Pojoaque, and Hano (or Tewa Village).
Southern Athabaskan:
- One of three Athabaskan families spoken in North America.
- Speakers have been separated from northern Athabaskan speakers by perhaps 600 to 1,300 years.
- Includes Navajo and Western Apache.
Yuman:
- Consists of several very closely related languages, separated by no more than 2,000 years.
- Split into two major divisions: Upland Yumans (Walapai, Havasupai, Yavapai) and River Yumans (Mohave, Maricopa, Yuma, Delta, Paipai, others).
Keresan:
- Very closely related languages, separated by only a few hundred years, probably no more than 500 years.
- Includes two groups: Rio Grande pueblos (Zia, Santa Ana, San Felipe, Santo Domingo, Cochiti) and Western Keresans (Acoma and Laguna).
Zuni:
- A language isolate, not closely related to any other known language.
- May be related to Penutian languages in California, but this is disputed.
- Evolved a separate language over the course of at least 7,000 years and probably more.
Seri:
- A language isolate, spoken by people living along the west coast of Sonora in Mexico and on Tiburon Island in the Gulf of California.
- Historically, there were six major geographic groups of Seri who spoke three dialects.

Major Lifeways of the Southwest

Pueblo Lifeway:
- Emphasize the importance of social units known as clans and sodalities (Western Pueblos).
- Villages organized into moieties, with alternating leadership (Eastern Pueblos).
- Emphasis on rain-making, harmony insured by the assistance of Kachina spirits (Western Pueblos).
- Emphasis on harvest ceremonials, hunting societies, curing ceremonies (Eastern Pueblos).
Rancheria Lifeway:
- Characterized by a wide range of mobility strategies, with some groups moving hundreds of miles in the course of a single year.
- Hunter-gatherer subsistence, based on seasonal movements between environmental zones to exploit available resources.
- Exploitation of a broad spectrum of wild plant and animal resources.
- Regular exchange relationships with more settled groups.
- For some groups (Navajo, for example), a pattern of bi-seasonal residence, with separate winter and summer camps or homes.

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Description

This quiz explores the evolution of language families, geographic separation of populations, and the study of languages within anthropology. Learn about glottochronology and the time depth of languages.