Culture Runs Deep

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Fort_Apache_Indian_Reservation_entrance.JPG

Linguistic landscape may refer to the physical landscape of a region, containing all the public signs, but it does not cover the cultural landscape. Culture and language are completely interconnected; it is near impossible to separate the two. For the Western Apache people of Arizona, place names and the landscape are inextricably connected. M. Eleanor Nevins argues the Apache place names show a connection to place and distinguish between outsiders and members of the community; often the place names are humorous and only members of the in-group will "get the joke" (Nevins 2008:192). Place names have origins and stories behind them which are connected to mythology and the cultural knowledge of the group. This also translates over to road and street signs, which can also carry cultural knowledge. Nevins cites Keith Basso in her paper, as he has done extensive research on the Apache and their place names. Basso's paper, "'Speaking with Names': Language and Landscape among the Western Apache," delves into the dialogues of the Apache people. He focuses on Lola Machuse who is a staple in the community. She bridges the gap between culture and landscape, like the Apache people do with their place names and connections to the land. As Basso says, "geographical landscapes are never culturally vacant" (1988:102). The Apache people are a good example of a community who has displayed that their culture is linked to their landscape. Just like with road and street signs in other examples on my blog, the place names interact with the linguistic landscape to promote language.

Basso, Keith H.

   1988 “Speaking with Names”: Language and Landscape Among the Western Apache. Cultural Anthropology 3(2):99-130.

Nevins, M. Eleanor

2008 “They Live in Lonesome Dove”: Media and contemporary Western Apache place-naming practices. Language in Society 37(2):191-215.