Spotlight on Students: Focal Language Assignment

The Spotlight on Students series features the work of my students, and this edition focuses on focal language.  Students were tasked with identifying and exploring the focal language of a specific cultural group they either were affiliated with or knew about, and the following is an example of student exemplary work:

Famous guitarists.  Source: DeviantArt

Focal Language of Guitarists

Chloe Guier

Language (spoken or written) is a universal aspect of different cultural groups, and it is constantly changing due to the evolution of culture (Gezon & Kottak, 66). Within a particular culture, there are separate groups that use varying words to describe their unique actions and ideas. One aspect of a language is focal language or focal vocabulary. It is a set of words and distinctions that are particularly important to certain groups within a culture, specifically groups that display a particular focus of experience or activity (Gezon & Kottak, 66). One group that utilizes focal language is guitar players, who must understand the different aspects of their instrument and the techniques, tools, and other materials necessary to play the guitar. Being a guitar player myself, I know that without the understanding of the many terms, it would be very difficult to know how to play the guitar.

To have a better understanding of the language used by guitarists, I have compiled a few of the most simplest terms a beginner guitarist should know. Knowing the anatomy of the instrument and understanding how it is used is one of the first things a beginner should learn. Below are two of the most important and easily-identified parts of a guitar.

1. Frets: thin bars running vertically along the guitar neck that the guitarist can place their fingers on to shorten the length of the strings, in turn affecting the pitch of the instrument (Acoustic Guitar Anatomy).
2. Body: the box of the guitar that the neck is attached to that the right hand can rest on while strumming. On an acoustic guitar, the body also acts as an amplifier for the guitar’s sound (Acoustic Guitar Anatomy).

Different hand positions, tools, and techniques allow the guitarist to make varying sounds, pitches, and tones on the guitar. Knowing these terms are essential to being able to play differing types of music.

3. Chord: three or more notes sounded on the frets that create a more full-bodied sound compared to playing a single note (Glossary of Guitar Terms).
4. Barre chord: similar to a chord, except adding the technique of laying your left pointer finger over at least two of the strings (Glossary of Guitar Terms).
5. Capo: a tool that usually wraps around the neck of a guitar that is used to shorten the string length and manipulate the key or pitch of the guitar (Glossary of Guitar Terms).
6. Slide: a tube (normally made of glass or plastic) that goes over the third or fourth finger of the left hand that “slides” up and down the fretboard while the guitarist simultaneously strums the guitar. Typically used by blues or jazz guitarists (Glossary of Guitar Terms).
7. Tuner: a device used to tune the guitar so the guitarist knows their instrument is in the right key (Glossary of Guitar Terms).
8. Hammer-on: a note created by first plucking a string or strings, then literally “hammering” down with a left finger on a particular fret and string (Glossary of Guitar Terms).
9. Pull-off: the opposite of a hammer-on. Starts by having a left finger on a certain fret and string, then plucking a string and “pulling off” your finger from the fretboard (Glossary of Guitar Terms).
10. Fingerstyle: strumming or picking the guitar strings with your fingers/fingernails rather than using a pick (Glossary of Guitar Terms).
11. Strumming: can be used with a pick or your right hand.the act of brushing at least two strings in a rhythmic fashion (Glossary of Guitar Terms).
12. Standard tuning: the general tuning of a guitar. The six strings are tuned EADGBE low to high (Glossary of Guitar Terms).
13. Tablature: (tab) one of the ways of writing music for fretted instruments that displays a number or letter on lines representing the six strings, which indicates the frets that are being played (Glossary of Guitar Terms).

A language’s lexicon, or vocabulary, is constantly expanding and changing due to changes in culture (Gezon & Kottak, 66). Focal language is important to any group due to its individual ideas, actions, experiences, etc. because it gives meaning to words or phrases that can not be defined by the existing vocabulary of a certain language. In this case, focal language is important to guitarists because it defines certain words or actions that explains the different elements of a guitar and how to properly use them to play the instrument.

If you asked someone who has no knowledge of playing the guitar to give their definition of something commonly used by guitarists, such as a pick, he or she would most likely would think of the tool used to pierce or break up a material like clay or ice (Merriam-Webster). Whereas if you asked a guitarist what a pick was, he or she would tell you that it is a hand-held tool used to brush the strings of a guitar to make a sound. This proves the importance of focal language and identifies the differences between the outsiders and members of a certain group. You can determine whether or not someone is a part of a particular group if they understand the different words and distinctions used in a certain activity (Gezon & Kottak, 66) and are able to apply their knowledge to that activity.

Focal language is essential to groups such as guitarists, because without it there would be no way to define the unique terms that are important to the group’s area of focus. Without any new vocabulary to define specific actions of a group, individual groups would not be able to express their ideas efficiently, and their identity would not be as clear .

Works Cited

"Acoustic Guitar Anatomy." Acoustic Guitar for Beginners. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. <https://sites.google.com/site/acousticguitarforbeginners/acoustic-guitar-anatomy>.

"Definition of PICK." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pick>.

Gezon & Kottak. "Ch. 2: Culture." ANTH 101 Cultural Anthropology. 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill Education, 2014. 313. Print.

"Glossary of Guitar Terms." : Mel Bay. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. <http://www.melbay.com/pages/about/glossary_of_guitar_terms.aspx>

Natural Hair as advocated by As I Am Naturally

Natural Hair of African American Women Focal Language

Anette Swindle

Most recently there has been more attention brought on to the growing community of African American women who have chosen to wear their hair in its natural state. The natural hair community has come up with words that help them to describe their natural hair and their natural hair journey. Focal vocabulary is defined as a set of words and distinctions that are particularly important to certain groups (Gezon and Kottak 66). The natural hair community has a pretty large focal vocabulary that helps one to explain the processes or what stage they are at in their hair journey that they are going through to get their hair healthy and natural. I have come up with ten terms that are constantly used in the natural hair community:

1.      Transitioning- the process, where one's natural hair is allowed to grow in, while the previously chemically manipulated hair is trimmed off in stages.

2.      Clarifying- The process of cleansing the hair to remove the build-up of oils, styling products, tap water minerals, and medications from the hair.

3.      Big Chop- Cutting off all relaxed or heat damaged portions of your hair, leaving only natural new growth.

4.      Shrinkage- A term used to describe the process that occurs when wet hair dries and coils up into its natural texture pattern and loses its visual length.

5.      Slip- is produced by a product, like conditioner, where the fingers or a comb are able to easily and smoothly glide through your hair from root to tip.

6.      Sealing- Applying a product or a natural oil to the hair to help lock in moisture.

7.      Wash’n’go- a quick and easy styling process not using twisting, braiding, knotting, or rodding to give your hair definition.

8.      Locking/locs- A hairstyle where small sections of hair are twisted and the strands become permanently secured. This protective hairstyle is very sanitary contrary to belief.

9.      Cowash- The practice of cleansing the hair using a natural cleansing conditioner in place of a chemical enriched shampoo.

10.  Dusting- Trimming off a small amount of your hair.

11.  Protective Style- A hairstyle that helps protect the ends your hair from damage, by shielding against environmental exposure and lessening you being able to manipulate it with your hands.

(Gezon and Kottak 66; Glossary, 2012).

The importance of focal vocabulary in the natural hair community is to help share one’s hair journey with others who might be interested in beginning their own natural hair journey. Because everyone’s hair is different, there are many different ways of styling and managing one’s natural hair. This leads to modifications of the different processes, such as with cowashing, which can then be shared throughout the natural hair community. Sharing one’s own hair journey inspires more women to start on their own journey of loving and caring for their natural hair.

Outsiders, such as Caucasians, do not understand the focal vocabulary of the natural hair community because their natural hair is rarely seen in a negative light. Outsiders of the natural hair community have the idea that many of the processes and styles are unkempt or unsanitary. An example of this would be the stereotypes that come with locs or dreads. Locking is a natural protective hairstyle that is stereotypically associated with weed smokers or hippies. This negative perception causes many African American women to hate their natural hair and damage it so they end up with a more conventional hairstyle.

            The focal vocabulary of the natural hair community helps celebrate the natural beauty of African American woman of today. The focal vocabulary keeps the natural hair community close and helps the community to continue to grow. The focal vocabulary also gives the feeling of having the community be exclusive and having the feeling of pride that comes with the exclusivity. Society has been known to shed a negative light of African American women’s natural hair. Therefore, the focal vocabulary helps make the process of transitioning to natural an uplifting experience.

Work Cited

Gezon, Lisa, and Conrad Kottak. ANTH 101 Cultural Anthropology: Truckee Meadows Community College. McGraw-Hill, 2014. 66. Print.

"Glossary." As I Am Naturally. Salon Commodities, Ltd, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. <http://www.asiamnaturally.com/glossary.html>.

Applied Anthropology Profile: Daryl Frazetti & The Anthropology of Sci-Fi

The following is a quote from Franz Boas, but it is one that Daryl Frazetti uses in his description of science fiction and science fiction story lines.  The parallels between science fiction story lines and modern human diversity, the focus of anthropological study, are what he draws upon in his sci-fi/anthropology pursuits.

 

Daryl Frazetti has two loves: anthropology and sci-fi.  He has combined these seemingly different topics in his line of work as a speaker at sci-fi & comic conventions, where he explores anthropological topics through science fiction narratives such as Planet of the Apes and Star Trek.  The combination of these two loves came about serendipitously: one due to the act of a controversial professor and the other due to a costumed cat.  As strange as those scenarios may seem, particularly when put together, they provided the foundation to an interesting and fruitful career.

 

Frazetti had no intention of going into anthropology.  As he put it, “I wasn’t drawn to anthropology.”  His primary interests were in the hard sciences, which is why he pursued a degree in biology with a pre-veterinary emphasis at University of Massachusetts-Boston.  He was nearing the end of his degree when one of his advisers informed him that he needed to take a social science credit.  Initially he was disappointed and did not see the utility in taking courses outside of his primary area of study.  Frazetti ultimately enrolled in a cultural anthropology course because, as he put it, “to sleep in”.  He was carrying a heavy science course load, and he thought that the anthropology course would be an easy course to fulfill the degree requirement.  The cultural anthropology professor confronted his students’ cultural norms and values and challenged them to critically analyze their social and cultural world.   Frazetti was intrigued.  So much so that he decided to continue exploring anthropology.  He ultimately double majored in anthropology and biology, continuing on in graduate school in biological anthropology with an emphasis in bioarchaeology.  He still felt little affinity to cultural anthropology, finding his niche in biological anthropology as it complemented his original interests.     

Frazetti’s interests in sci-fi were his own, but he became fully ensconced in sci-fi culture due to his pet cat.  He brought his cat to a sci-fi convention, and some girls were fawning over the feline.  They suggested that the cat should be part of the convention by wearing a costume.  Frazetti agreed to this because, as he put it, “I could get girls!”  His caped crusader cat (or not so caped as the case ultimately was) landed Frazetti a spot in a documentary film about Star Trek fans, which started his status as a icon in the convention circuit. 

As Frazetti continued to pursue his anthropological studies he took on teaching duties as part of his higher education training, and he found himself teaching linguistic and cultural anthropology courses, which were outside of his primary area of focus (biological anthropology).  Frazetti was forced to explore cultural theory, and he began to realize more and more the parallels between his favorite sci-fi story lines and cultural anthropology.  He started using these insights in his classroom teaching as a means to better inform his students, and he found that it was an incredibly effective teaching tool.

At about this same time the sci-fi convention community started to take notice of Frazetti’s anthropological training.  He was asked to give talks that explored the complexities of science fiction themes and how they related to real life cultural phenomenon, such as how the story lines in X-men and Star Trek symbolize the real life struggles of minorities for equal rights and sociopolitical autonomy.  He eventually began his own research to enrich both his classroom and sci-fi lectures and published widely in books and journals on how sci-fi could be utilized in these creative ways.  These efforts gained the attention of CBS, who contracted him to conduct market research to improve their website.  Staff at a museum in Salt Lake City were inspired by one of Frazetti’s papers and created a Star Wars exhibit that explored themes in the series and their relationship to actual cultural experiences.  These all snowballed into more and more appearances and talks, in addition to new courses that he has taught throughout northern California and Nevada. 

Frazetti notes that science fiction is a medium that allows its audience to identify with issues of great importance to them via a specific character or story line.  The application of anthropology to these issues, such as the origins of Homo sapiens, race and ethnic relations, LGBT identity, etc., allows for these issues to be explored in organized and significant ways.  Ultimately, this leads to individuals being more informed citizens, which according to Frazetti is one of the best lessons any student of anthropology can learn.

Note: Individuals interested in seeing Daryl Frazetti present should come to Sierra 108 on the TMCC Dandini Campus at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, April 29 for his presentation titled: X-Men As A Cultural Mirror.