PAROLE

Parole" This essay is part of collective book on methodological aspects and actual problems in Anthropological Research: "La ricerca sul campo in antropologia. Oggetti e metodi" (C. Pennacini ed.). “Word” is a concept assumed from the point of view of the anthropological fieldresearcher in anthropology during the fieldwork and the native point of view. The focus is on the principle that each “word” challanges the researcher awareness. The author pays attention to the history of collections of “words” of other languages /cultures under the perspective of word lists, glossaries, dictionaries that should be understood as “bridges” between the words of the researchers and those of the alterity she is facing. There are theories and methods in the collection of words, or “key” words, relevant for each culture. After all, what are “words”? In Western reflexion understanding what a “word” is for speakers of other languages is a revealing challange. One the very early semantic fields in anthropology was focussing on the collection of kinship terminologies. From that area many other fields have been investigated, leading to a more complex understanding of the interwoven cultural and linguistic intepretative and methodological problems. In every part and aspect of fieldwork on language in culture the researcher must keep a correct, ethical and cultural behaviour, above all be open to the demands of the communities as for his recollection of data. The researcher should find his/her way to be part of the contemporary context of linguistic politics of indigenous people