Anthropology's Lost Language Syndrome

This article suggests that there has been a decline in attention paid to issues of linguistic difference and translation in ethnography and examines the theoretical trends in anthropology associated with this decline. It analyses problems in ethnographic contexts where Chinese to English translation (particularly in the translation of various words related to the English semantic domain of 'happiness'), have implications for social life, as well as the recent theoretical trends in the discipline that encourage ethnographers to ignore linguistic structure. Utilising Actor Network Theory and anthropological theorisations of translation, it argues that linguistic structure must be conceived as a significant force in the world and that it must be understood as interacting with other forces in the world.

Automated summary

This article suggests a decline in attention to linguistic difference and translation in ethnography and explores the associated theoretical trends in anthropology. It analyzes the issues in ethnographic contexts where Chinese to English translation, particularly in terms related to the English semantic field of 'happiness', have social implications, as well as recent theoretical trends that encourage ethnographers to disregard linguistic structure. Using Actor Network Theory and anthropological theorizations of translation, it argues that linguistic structure should be recognized as a significant force in the world and its interaction with other forces should be understood.