Anthropological Linguistics or Linguistic Anthropology?

[res2135]

What is the difference between Anthropological Linguistics and Linguistic Anthropology? I'm mainly interested in endangered language revitalization. I'm interested in endangered language preservation/documentation as a means to end in terms of revitalization, but not as the be-all, end-all. Does this mean I'm interested in Anthropological Linguistics or Linguistic Anthropology?

I cross-posted this to the Linguistics sub-forum as well.

[joops]

I believe that there is no difference between "anthropological linguistics" and "linguistic anthropology" in terms of the kind of research each entails. However, one terminology is much more common than another. Here is the way my professor explained it:

"Anthropological linguistics" is redundant, as language is a uniquely human phenomenon. For this reason, most people chose to say "linguistic anthropology," which is a sub-discipline of linguistics that examines language as it pertains to culture. He noted, however, that it is not unheard of to use "anthropological linguistics," and there is even a journal of with this title.

Hope this helps.

[res2135]

thanks!

[far_to_go]

Ah, a familiar conundrum. I have MA's in both Linguistics and Anthropology. For my Ph.D., I decided to look for faculty who were interested in the kind of topics that I was interested in; I looked at both Anthro and Linguistics departments and ended up in an Anthro department where I'm very happy so far.

If you're looking for schools to apply to, I'd recommend choosing your top 5 favorite books on language preservation/revitalization, seeing where those authors teach, and then applying to those programs if any of them seem like a good fit for you.