Problems Faced By Most Linguists

In the nineteenth century, some linguists believed that “primitive” languages had inconsistent or “alternating” speech sounds. Though they may not have been aware, studies have showed that these “alternating” sounds are actually “alternating” apperceptions of one and the same sound.

In the article on Alternating Sounds, the philosopher Franz Boaz opined that “The classification is made according to the sounds that are known to exist in our language”. Boaz argued that if someone heard a sound he or she had never heard before, the person classified this sound under a similar sound he or she knows. This involuntary assimilation itself influenced the perception of component sounds. If an individual repeatedly listened to a speech sound which he had never heard before, the longer the interval between the sounds the more readily one stimulus was mistaken for a similar one. Ultimately, the individual will produce a slightly different sound each time he or she hears it; which is the origin of the concept of alternating sounds. Franz Boaz therefore concluded that rather than the “primitive” languages having inconsistent sounds, the linguist had inconsistent apperceptions of certain words in that language since they had never heard the words before.
From the misunderstanding between inconsistent speech sounds and inconsistent apperceptions, it is evident that individuals should not to resolve unfamiliar concepts by relating them to already established concepts in their own culture. Hence, when we encounter cultural difference, we should avoid being ethnocentric both in terms of ethics and understanding. In terms of ethics, when we encounter cultural difference, we should not judge the morality of other cultural practices according to our own culture and social standards. We should avoid interpreting other cultures in the context of what our culture considers right or wrong. In terms of understanding, we should not project our culture on to other cultures while studying them; making our culture the center of all other culture