Ethnolinguistic Groups Research Articles

Reimagining Linguistic Heritage: Or How Mother Tongue Speakers Re‐Create Their Language

In this article, I engage the “language as heritage” trope to critically examine a popular belief that underlies it: the idea that a shared language primordially connects an individual to a group of people, a homogenous culture and a particular territory—the notion of the ethnolinguistic group. Judith T. Irvine has long urged linguistic anthropologists to problematize the linguistic side of these classifications, to recognize the ideologies that shape both scholarly language descriptions and speakers’ own interactional practices (often in response to those official depictions). Here, I take on this challenge by considering both the contrived colonial standardization process of East Africa’s Swahili language, and contemporary Swahili speakers’ creative resistances to scholarly descriptions of “their” linguistic heritage. Orthographic and interactional practices from speakers of KiAmu, a Swahili vernacular spoken in coastal Kenya, illustrate how speakers creatively attempt to make their vernacular more “like itself.” Rejecting (post)colonial perspectives of Swahili as a distinctly “African” language, they are reimagining their linguistic heritage and its associated belongings to appeal to alternative identities and histories, that have hybridity and transoceanic interconnectivity at their core.

Games and enculturation: A cross-cultural analysis of cooperative goal structures in Austronesian games.

While most animals play, only humans play games. As animal play serves to teach offspring important life-skills in a safe scenario, human games might, in similar ways, teach important culturally relevant skills. Humans in all cultures play games; however, it is not clear whether variation in the characteristics of games across cultural groups is related to group-level attributes. Here we investigate specifically whether the cooperativeness of games covaries with socio-ecological differences across cultural groups. We hypothesize that cultural groups that engage in frequent inter-group conflict, cooperative sustenance acquisition, or that have less stratified social structures, might more frequently play cooperative games as compared to groups that do not share these characteristics. To test these hypotheses, we gathered data from the ethnographic record on 25 ethnolinguistic groups in the Austronesian language family. We show that cultural groups with higher levels of inter-group conflict and cooperative land-based hunting play cooperative games more frequently than other groups. Additionally, cultural groups with higher levels of intra-group conflict play competitive games more frequently than other groups. These findings indicate that games are not randomly distributed among cultures, but rather relate to the socio-ecological settings of the cultural groups that practice them. We argue that games serve as training grounds for group-specific norms and values and thereby have an important function in enculturation during childhood. Moreover, games might server an important role in the maintenance of cultural diversity.

Understanding housing inequalities in urban Pakistan: An intersectionality perspective of ethnicity, income and education

ABSTRACT Urban housing inequality is a major academic and policy concern in Pakistan, but empirical investigations and, in turn, evidence-based policy interventions are limited. This study examines the nature of housing inequalities and their determinants focusing on ethnolinguistic groups using a nationally representative household survey, where housing inequality is measured using two indicators: housing space usage (room per capita) and access to utilities (an index based on access to piped water, sewerage, cooking gas, and electricity). Results show that housing inequality by ethnicity is very high, and ethnic belonging, along with socioeconomic factors, significantly influences space consumption and access to utilities. Intersectionality between ethnicity, income, and education plays a crucial role in housing inequality. Balochi, Sindhi, and Siraiki communities have a lower potential for achieving adequate housing than other communities. To reduce housing inequalities, identified disadvantaged communities along with the economic poor should be targeted through housing policies and programmes.

Transnational Dimensions of Moroccan Gender History

Transnational Dimensions of Moroccan Gender History

Narratives and Indigenous History

Folk narratives are sources of information on the movements of people from one region to another, and who take with them their complex and plural speech systems. Other facts arising from their migrations include the routes taken, the motivations for their migration, the topography with its flora and fauna along the way of travel, and the meeting with people of different ethnolinguistic groups. Data for this study represents all the three main regions of Malaysia: The Malay Peninsula, Sabah, and Sarawak, each with its own composition of indigenous groups. Information derived from the narratives are placed in different categories which are not all shared by the three regions. But the common factors present in all the three are the push and the pull factors. However, exponents of these factors differ from one region to the other. This study contributes to an understanding of the growth of geolinguistic domains of the different indigenous ethnic groups of Malaysia as we see them today.

Educational mobility across three generations of Finnish-speaking and Swedish-speaking Finns

Using total population register data that link three generations, this article studies educational mobility in two native ethno-linguistic groups, Finnish speakers and Swedish speakers in Finland. The purpose is to examine how multigenerational educational mobility takes form in a setting with equal constitutional rights, but with relatively more study places in Swedish at the tertiary level. For the cohorts born 1976–1985, the probability of having a tertiary-level education is 5.6 % points higher for Swedish-speaking men than for Finnish-speaking men, while the difference in women is 8.2 % points. The estimated effects of parents’ and grandparents’ tertiary-level education on offspring educational attainment are largely the same in both ethno-linguistic groups. Compositional differences contribute considerably, however. For men, 41 % of the ethno-linguistic difference in the probability of having tertiary-level education can be attributed to parents’ education, and another 13 % to grandparents’ education. Corresponding numbers for women are 23 % and 5 %, respectively. In the public debate, it should be highlighted that all study places in Swedish in Finland are open to persons with adequate skills in the language, and that they serve to meet the national needs for a sufficient number of persons proficient in Swedish.

Resonating embodiment

The Safaliba are an Indigenous Ghanaian ethnolinguistic group of 7,000–9,000 people (Sherris, Schaefer and Mango Aworo, 2019). They mostly inhabit their traditional lands in a rural area of Ghana’s Savannah Region. There are seven towns and villages where Safaliba (the name of both their language and themselves as a people) is a dominant communicative language resource, as well as another seven towns where Safaliba as a communicative language resource is subordinate (see Fig. 1) to approximately eleven additional Indigenous Ghanaian languages (e.g., Birifor, Choruba, Dagaare, Deg, Gonja, Jula, Kamara, Lobiri, Siti, Vagla, and Waali). Safaliba is a Gur language with an expanding and vibrant, although small, grassroots literacy activity in five government primary schools, two private primary schools, and one informal adult education program. Safaliba storytellers, poets, and teenagers in the communities are using the language in booklets, newsletters, and in some experimental attempts at Safaliba Hip Hop. The purpose of this paper is to document Safaliba metaphors that have as their source domain the human body and their target domain everyday human interactions. We argue that these target domains, although abstract, transform the limits of embodiment and thereby resonate with similar materiality. For instance, if we look at the verb phrase le o? baya poo, which literally means /fall between someone’s legs/, in conceptual metaphor theory that would be the source domain. Its target domain is its figurative meaning, which for the Safaliba is /to beg someone for help or something/. The target domain resonates with components of the original embodied state of something or someone falling between the legs of another, yet is transformed to mean, metaphorically, an abstraction – to supplicate, beg, plead. Another example would be dibi nye?a, which as a source domain means /press chest/, and its target domain is the figurative /console, comfort/.

Four Trickster Tales from Lwapula Province, Zambia

Abstract: The Aushi are an ethnolinguistic group located in the Lwapula Province of the Republic of Zambia and in the Katanga Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The following tales were recounted and shared collectively by a group of women who wish to be identified by name: Agnes Kaunda Chiwamine, Rosemary Mushota, Scolastica Kalengule Chiwamine, Exildah Mwansa Musoka, and Sarah Mweba.

Towards a Dialect History of the Baggara Belt

The Baggara Belt constitutes the southernmost periphery of the Arabic-speaking world. It stretches over 2500 km from Nigeria to Sudan and it is largely inhabited by Arab semi-nomadic cattle herders. Despite its common sociohistorical background, the ethnography of Baggara nomads is complex, being the result of a long series of longitudinal migrations and contacts with different ethnolinguistic groups. Thanks to a number of comparative works, there is broad agreement on the inclusion of Baggara dialects within West Sudanic Arabic. However, little or nothing is known of the internal classification of Baggara Arabic. This paper seeks to provide a comparative overview of Baggara Arabic and to explain dialect convergences and divergences within the Baggara Belt in light of both internally and externally motivated changes. By providing a qualitative analysis of selected phonological, morphosyntactic, and lexical features, this study demonstrates that there is no overlapping between the ethnic and dialect borders of the Baggara Belt. Furthermore, it is argued that contact phenomena affecting Baggara Arabic cannot be reduced to a single substrate language, as these are rather induced by areal diffusion and language attrition. These elements support the hypothesis of a gradual process of Baggarization rather than a sudden ethnolinguistic hybridization between Arab and Fulani agropastoralist groups. Over and above, the paper aims at contributing to the debate on the internal classification of Sudanic Arabic by refining the isoglosses commonly adopted for the identification of a West Sudanic dialect subtype.

Dissecting the genetic history of the Roman Catholic populations of West Coast India.

Migration and admixture history of populations have always been curious and an interesting theme. The West Coast of India harbours a rich diversity, bestowing various ethno-linguistic groups, with many of them having well-documented history of migrations. The Roman Catholic is one such distinct group, whose origin was much debated. While some historians and anthropologists relating them to ancient group of Gaud Saraswat Brahmins, others relating them for being members of the Jews Lost Tribes in the first Century migration to India. Historical records suggests that this community was later forcibly converted to Christianity by the Portuguese in Goa during the Sixteenth Century. Till date, no genetic study was done on this group to infer their origin and genetic affinity. Hence, we analysed 110 Roman Catholics from three different locations of West Coast of India including Goa, Kumta and Mangalore using both uniparental and autosomal markers to understand their genetic history. We found that the Roman Catholics have close affinity with the Indo-European linguistic groups, particularly Brahmins. Additionally, we detected genetic signal of Jews in the linkage disequilibrium-based admixture analysis, which was absent in other Indo-European populations, who are inhabited in the same geographical regions. Haplotype-based analysis suggests that the Roman Catholics consist of South Asian-specific ancestry and showed high drift. Ancestry-specific historical population size estimation points to a possible bottleneck around the time of Goan inquisition (fifteenth century). Analysis of the Roman Catholics data along with ancient DNA data of Neolithic and bronze age revealed that the Roman Catholics fits well in a basic model of ancient ancestral composition, typical of most of the Indo-European caste groups of India. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis suggests that most of the Roman Catholics have aboriginal Indian maternal genetic ancestry; while the Y chromosomal DNA analysis indicates high frequency of R1a lineage, which is predominant in groups with higher ancestral North Indian (ANI) component. Therefore, we conclude that the Roman Catholics of Goa, Kumta and Mangalore regions are the remnants of very early lineages of Brahmin community of India, having Indo-Europeans genetic affinity along with cryptic Jewish admixture, which needs to be explored further.

Better in Pictures

Better in Pictures

On Social Media: The Voices of Blaan Students in Digital Age

This study aims to describe indigenous peoples’ use of social media. There are 110 ethno-linguistic groups in the Philippines who comprise nearly 15 percent of total population. Majority of indigenous peoples live in the island of Mindanao. Phenomenology was used for this study in explaining the experiences and perspectives of the Blaan students in using social media. Twenty-five Blaan students from Matanao, Davao del Sur were selected through purposive sampling. Through in-depth interviews and focus group discussion it was revealed that entertainment and leisure, emotional trauma and discrimination, research and educational purposes, and communication and socialization were the issues related to the Blaan students’ experiences on using social media. As regards insights in using social media, they identified time management, stand against discrimination, staying hopeful and positive, respecting and promoting culture, and prioritizing education. This study has significance not only in but also in the indigenous peoples’ cultural community in terms of promoting and preserving culture in the digital age.

Economic Development and Modernization in Africa Homogenize National Cultures

The nation-building literature of the early 1960s argued that decolonized countries need to overcome pre-colonial ethnic identities and generate national cultures. Africa is the most critical test case of this aspect of modernization theory as it has by far the largest ethnolinguistic fractionalization. We use data from the Afrobarometer to compare the cultures of 85 ethnolinguistic groups, each represented by at least 100 respondents, from 25 African countries. We compared these groups and their nations on items that address cultural modernization and emancipation: ideologies concerning inclusive-exclusive society (gender egalitarianism, homophobia, and xenophobia), submissiveness to authority, and the societal role of religion. Previous research has shown that these are some of the most important markers of cultural differences in the modern world. Hierarchical cluster analysis yielded very homogeneous national clusters and not a single ethnolinguistic cluster cutting across national borders (such as Yoruba of Benin and Yoruba of Nigeria, Ewe of Ghana, and Ewe of Togo, etc.). Only three ethnolinguistic groups (3.5%) remained unattached to their national cluster, regardless of the clustering method. The variation between nations ( F values) was often considerably greater than the variation between ethnolinguistic groups. Medial distances between the groups of each country correlated highly with GDP per person ( r = −.54), percentage men employed in agriculture ( r = .64), percentage men employed in services ( r = −.63), and phone subscriptions per person ( r = −.61). In conclusion, economic development and modernization diminish cultural differences between ethnolinguistic groups within nations, highlighting those between them.

Molecular Epidemiology of G6PD Genotypes in Different Ethnic Groups Residing in Saharan and Sahelian Zones of Mauritania.

Plasmodium vivax malaria is endemic in Mauritania. Individuals with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency may develop acute hemolytic anemia when exposed to 8-aminoquinoline antimalarial drugs, which are indispensable for a complete cure. The prevalence of G6PD allelic variants was assessed in different ethno-linguistic groups present in Mauritania. A total of 996 blood samples (447 males and 549 females; 499 white Moors and 497 individuals of black African ancestry) were collected from febrile patients in 6 different study sites: Aleg, Atar, Kiffa, Kobeni, Nouakchott, and Rosso. The presence of the African-type G6PD A- (G202A, A376G, A542T, G680T, and T968C mutations) and the Mediterranean-type G6PD B- (C563T) variants was assessed by PCR followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism and/or DNA sequencing. The prevalence of African-type G6PD A- genotype was 3.6% (36/996), with 6.3% (28/447) of hemizygote (A-) males and 1.5% (8/549) of homozygous (A-A-) females. Forty of 549 (7.3%) women were heterozygous (AA-). The following genotypes were observed among hemizygous men and/or homozygous women: A376G/G202A (22/996; 2.2%), A376G/T968C Betica-Selma (12/996; 1.2%), and A376G/A542T Santamaria (2/996; 0.2%). The Mediterranean-type G6PD B- genotype was not observed. The prevalence rates of G6PD A- genotype in male (10/243; 4.1%) and heterozygous female (6/256; 2.3%) white Moors were lower (p < 0.05) than those of males (18/204; 8.8%) and heterozygous females (34/293; 11.6%) of black African ancestry. There were only a few homozygous women among both white Moors (3/256; 1.2%) and those of black African ancestry (5/293; 1.7%). The prevalence of G6PD deficiency in Mauritania was comparable to that of neighboring countries in the Maghreb. Because of the purportedly close ethnic ties between the Mauritanian white Moors and the peoples in the Maghreb, further investigations on the possible existence of the Mediterranean-type allele are required. Moreover, a surveillance system of G6PD phenotype and/or genotype screening is warranted to establish and monitor a population-based prevalence of G6PD deficiency.

Genetic Relationship between the Different Ethno-Linguistic Groups of Mezam and Momo Divisions of the North West Region of Cameroon

Aim: Although the many ethnolinguistic groups of the Mezam and Momo Divisions of the North West Region of Cameroon are historically known to be related, no genetic study has hider to be conducted to verify the claim. This study was therefore aimed at determining the genetic relationship between the different ethno linguistic groups of Mezam and Momo divisions of north west Cameroon using 6 Y-STR loci.&#x0D; Materials and methods: Venous blood samples were collected from, at least 30 consented participants from each of 11 ethnolinguistic groups previously identified in the study area. Genomic DNA was isolated and six Y- Chromosome Short Tandem Repeats (Y-STRs): DYS388, DYS389I DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, and DYS393, were genotyped using standard techniques and the phylogenetic relationship between these groups established.&#x0D; Results: Four loci (DYS3891, DYS390, DYS391, and DYS392) had an allele frequency of 1 in all 11 groups and a total of 4 haplotypes were obtained. Haplotype 11-13-21-11-9-10 corresponding to DYS388-DYS389I-DYS390-DYS392-DYS393-DYS391 was the most predominant in all populations.&#x0D; Conclusion: It is concluded that, all 11 populations included in this study have a common genetic origin, the Bakaka population of Cameroon which correlates with their Bantoid linguistic relatedness.

The Dynamics of Meranao Political Participation in Southern Philippines: An Analysis Using Milbrath’s Hierarchy of Political Involvement

The study analyzes the dynamics of political participation of the largest Muslim ethnolinguistic group in the Philippines – the Meranao. Using Milbrath’s hierarchy of political involvement, the researcher examines the nature of Meranaos’ political processes and the role played by demographic and socioeconomic factors including gender, place of origin, age, income, education, and occupation on the nature of their political participation. The study adopted quantitative approach whereby survey method is the primary technique during the collection of data. There were 315 respondents who took part in the five-month survey period in the two districts of the province of Lanao del Sur in Southern Philippines. The research question is summed up on how do Meranaos participate in Philippine politics vis-a-vis Milbrath’s Hierarchy of Political Involvement, and how do social stratification in the Meranao society influence their political participation. The study found that the nature of Meranaos’ political participation is not up to democratic setup as they are confined only to spectatorial level, while rarely participating in transitional and gladiatorial levels. In the same manner, there were no significant impacts of demographic and socioeconomic factors on political participation. The effects were only found in individual formative items at a lesser extent. The study recommends the massive information drive on the status and significant roles of political institutions in the Meranao society in order to entice higher political participation. Extension of this study to other Muslim ethnolinguistic groups and communities in the Philippines is essential.

The Relationship between Ethno-Linguistic Composition of Social Networks and Activity Space: A Study Using Mobile Phone Data

This study is a contribution to the discussion on the ethnic segregation cycle, through the examination of individuals’ activity spaces—including residence and workplace—and from the perspective of social networks. Bridging social ties can be a key factor in higher minority inclusion and in breaking the vicious circle of segregation. We compare the spatial behaviour of two ethno-linguistic population groups living in Tallinn, Estonia’s capital city (Estonian-speaking majority and Russian-speaking minority), each of which have co- and interethnic social networks, through the use of mobile positioning (call detail records) and call-graph data. Among our main findings, we show firstly that interethnic social networks are more common for the Russian-speaking minority population. The probability of having an interethnic network is related to the ethno-linguistic composition of the residential district concerned; districts with a higher proportion of residents from another ethnic group tend to favour interethnic networks more. Secondly, the activity space is related to the ethno-linguistic composition of the social networks. Spatial behaviour is most expansive for Estonian speakers with co-ethnic networks, and most constrained for Russian speakers with co-ethnic networks. At the same time, speakers of Estonian and Russian with interethnic networks show rather similar spatial behaviours: They tend to visit more districts where the proportion of people from the other ethno-linguistic group is higher. Interethnic networks are therefore related to spatial behaviour, which can indicate interethnic meeting points and locations, something that is regarded as being important in assimilation and segregation cycle theories.

Y chromosome diversity in Aztlan descendants and its implications for the history of Central Mexico

SummaryNative Mexican populations are crucial for understanding the genetic ancestry of Aztec descendants and coexisting ethnolinguistic groups in the Valley of Mexico and elucidating the population dynamics of the prehistoric colonization of the Americas. Mesoamerican societies were multicultural in nature and also experienced significant admixture during Spanish colonization of the region. Despite these facts, Native Mexican Y chromosome diversity has been greatly understudied. To further elucidate their genetic history, we conducted a high-resolution Y chromosome analysis with Chichimecas, Nahuas, Otomies, Popolocas, Tepehuas, and Totonacas using 19 Y-short tandem repeat and 21 single nucleotide polymorphism loci. We detected enormous paternal genetic diversity in these groups, with haplogroups Q-MEH2, Q-M3, Q-Z768, Q-L663, Q-Z780, and Q-PV3 being identified. These data affirmed the southward colonization of the Americas via Beringia and connected Native Mexicans with indigenous populations from South-Central Siberia and Canada. They also suggested that multiple population dispersals gave rise to Y chromosome diversity in these populations.

Reconstructing the Human Genetic History of Mainland Southeast Asia: Insights from Genome-Wide Data from Thailand and Laos

Thailand and Laos, located in the center of Mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA), harbor diverse ethnolinguistic groups encompassing all five language families of MSEA: Tai-Kadai (TK), Austroasiatic (AA), Sino-Tibetan (ST), Hmong-Mien (HM), and Austronesian (AN). Previous genetic studies of Thai/Lao populations have focused almost exclusively on uniparental markers and there is a paucity of genome-wide studies. We therefore generated genome-wide SNP data for 33 ethnolinguistic groups, belonging to the five MSEA language families from Thailand and Laos, and analyzed these together with data from modern Asian populations and SEA ancient samples. Overall, we find genetic structure according to language family, albeit with heterogeneity in the AA-, HM-, and ST-speaking groups, and in the hill tribes, that reflects both population interactions and genetic drift. For the TK speaking groups, we find localized genetic structure that is driven by different levels of interaction with other groups in the same geographic region. Several Thai groups exhibit admixture from South Asia, which we date to ∼600–1000 years ago, corresponding to a time of intensive international trade networks that had a major cultural impact on Thailand. An AN group from Southern Thailand shows both South Asian admixture as well as overall affinities with AA-speaking groups in the region, suggesting an impact of cultural diffusion. Overall, we provide the first detailed insights into the genetic profiles of Thai/Lao ethnolinguistic groups, which should be helpful for reconstructing human genetic history in MSEA and selecting populations for participation in ongoing whole genome sequence and biomedical studies.

Social exclusion in Pakistan: an ethnographic and regional perspective

PurposeThis paper is an attempt to analyze the nature and extent of social exclusion across regions, ethnolinguistic groups and different professions in Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachBy using household level data of Pakistan Social and Living Standard Measurement Survey, the authors have constructed Social Exclusion Index (SEI) as well as multidimensional deprivation scores across of the households. SEI has been developed by using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) whereas multidimensional deprivation scores have been calculated by following the methodology proposed by Alkire and Foster 2011. In total nine household level indicators related with living standards, education and health have been used for this purpose. In next step the relationship of different household characteristics such as profession of household head region of residence and ethnolinguistic identity has been explored with SEI and multidimensional deprivation scores.FindingsThe empirical results of our analysis show that even after controlling for the income of household, SEI and multidimensional deprivation scores have been found to be significantly different across different professions, different regions and different linguistic groups.Originality/valueThis confirms the prevalence of social exclusion in Pakistani society. Compensatory government policies are suggested as an option to cope with the problem of social exclusion.