Western Apache Language And Culture, By Keith Basso

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Western Apache Language and Culture, written by Keith Basso, is a book that shows how the language of Western Apache is one of the most cultivating and unique languages. The book focuses merely on the examination of linguistics and anthropology within the Apache language. His research is based on the structure of language within Apache culture. This includes the study of verbs,nouns,names, etc. This book breaks down everything piece by piece which gives us very descriptive details and information. With the information given to us, we can uncover the true meaning of the language and one major question which is,”How does Apache language construct, conceive of and/or use names”.
The apache people had an extremely unique way of constructing …show more content…

The usage of the names provide detail to the listener and it helps the listener imagine in great detail what a location is like. This is normally seen in story-telling. For example, according to Chapter 6 pg 120 , it states, “ Thus, instead of describing these settings discursively, an Apache storyteller can simply employ their names and Apache listeners, whether they have visited the locations or not, are able to imagine in some detail how they might appear”. This is amazing because someone that has never been to a location can relate to and create a distinct image due to place names. It also creates a positive relationship that only the speaker can have with the listeners by using specific place names that they …show more content…

In an example from Chapter 7 pg 141, a woman named Louise was worried because her brother had inadvertently stepped on a snakeskin that lay wedged in a crevice between some rock. This caused sickness within the brother. While speaking, Lola interrupted her and said a place name that helped Louise picture a place and its associated ancestral story–an event where a young girl became ill after ignoring her grandmother’s advice to avoid a path where snakes lived. She was healed and learned her lesson. They go on and on and share more locations and place names which gave louise a sense of grief and gratitude. This shows how much a place name can affect someone whether it’s something positive or negative. I normally just think of positive places when im a negative mood but the way Lola gave louise a sort of negative/dangerous place name while being in a negative mood surprised

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