descriptive anthropology
- noun
- /dɪˈskrɪptɪv ænθrəˈpɑlədʒi/
- Specialized
:
antropología descriptiva
- In descriptive anthropology, researchers focus on collecting detailed data about rituals and traditions of specific groups.
Examples
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Her work in descriptive anthropology earned her recognition for accurately recording the lifestyles of remote tribes.
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The museum's exhibit is based on findings from decades of descriptive anthropology in Southeast Asia.
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Her research focused on descriptive anthropology.
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Many students are drawn to descriptive anthropology because of its focus on cultures.
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Her work in descriptive anthropology earned her recognition for accurately recording the lifestyles of remote tribes.
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In descriptive anthropology, researchers focus on collecting detailed data about rituals and traditions of specific groups.
-
The museum's exhibit is based on findings from decades of descriptive anthropology in Southeast Asia.
Synonyms
3
8.5
A study of how a group of people live by watching them closely
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward noun phrase combining 'descriptive' (giving specific details) with 'anthropology' (the study of humans), so its meaning — the branch of anthropology that describes societies — is directly derivable from the constituents. This compositional structure is common across languages and follows normal adjective + noun semantics, making it readily understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
Descriptive anthropology comes from the image of a researcher with a notebook carefully writing what people do and say. Here descriptive means 'to describe' and anthropology means 'the study of people', so the term now refers to the part of anthropology that records and describes a group's everyday life.