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There is some awful pseudo-science about linguistics going around the internet right now. So let's have a little linguistic anthropology 101 thread. I'll start us off but I hope #anthropology twitter will add to this. I'd love to see a good discussion about linguistic anthro!
1. Language actively DOES things in the world. A swing of the bat is either a strike or a ball based not upon what happens (as any fan can tell you) but how the ump calls it. A spoken agreement binds people into sets of obligations. Saying "I love you" changes relationships.
2. WHO is speaking matters Every fan in a stadium can be shouting "out" but only the ump's words decide the outcome. Two people saying "I do" aren't married unless they are adults in front of an officiant. A word denoting insider status can be deeply offensive said by an outsider
