The issue on which I have selected to focus belongs to the linguistic anthropology area of social sciences. Linguistic anthropology is a field of study that explores the links between groups of populations, their cultures, and languages (University of Florida, n.d.). The specific issue of this science in which I am interested is endangered linguistic minorities in Italy. Namely, various populations in Italy speak different languages, which are native to their communities. However, these groups of people are suppressed by the government (Pipyrou, 2017). The issue is significant because it reveals important information about the interactions between the major Italian-speaking population and minorities. Such knowledge is essential for understanding the social processes underlying the diversity of languages in regions where people of various cultures live and interact.
Apparently, certain social science principles apply to the issue that I have chosen to discuss. These include social institutions, social norms, and values. First of all, the social institutions which are involved in the issue are government and education organizations. Precisely, the government of Italy suppresses the minorities, not including their languages in the list of the official ones. There is no public approval of the use of the language, which makes the minorities feel vulnerable and foreign in their country. Next, schools and universities do not teach students these languages, showing them that the future of their “dialects” is inevitable death. Moreover, social norms declare that in public meetings, people should use the national language instead of the mother tongues of these people. Finally, the issue of language use determines one’s values, such as patriotism expressed by speaking the native dialect instead of imposed language. Therefore, Italian language minorities’ issue is important for social sciences and corresponds to its principles.
References
Pipyrou, S. (2017). Suspended lives. Anthropology News, 58(6), e366–e370.
University of Florida. (n.d.). Linguistic anthropology. Web.