There are really three branches of anthropology that deal with this in different ways and probably AI will start to open up further ways by examining word frequency and other aspects (for example, political speeches are already analyzed as "rituals" using certain key words, melody and so on that have little to do with the actual content).

1) Cultural anthropology looks at the "superstructure" of cultures to see how religion and story reinforces the "social structure" by giving lessons on moraity and values.

2) Folklore is the branch of anthropology that looks at myths and drama to try to classify the stories to see how they reinforce the structure of society.

3) Linguistics looks at the interactions between speech/words and culture.

What has been happening is that these branches have often become detached from their real purpose of fitting into the rest of anthropology to explain how the cultures actually work within their environments and change (their deep structures). The recent developments in the humanities on "symbols", "semiotics" and "narratives" have started to turn these parts of anthropology into the same kinds of philosophical analyses of symbols that undermine their credibility for prediction and analysis as once valid parts of social science as science.

Of course authors (and i do this as well when I write fiction) choose names that associate with concepts and have symbolic meaning and anthropologists could do some of that kind of analysis. All words carry their historic meaning and cultural significance including months and days of the week and personal names can also indicate cultural origin and kinship and network relations, which anthropologists can study.

I have written a piece recently that crosses some of these barriers describing the politics of language by looking at Vietnamese ("A Question of Tone"), and some other pieces on cultural "deep structure" that you can find on my ResearchGate as well as a recent unpublished legal anthropology piece on a legal case and the various "narratives" that are protected onto legal situations to fit with ideologies of punishment and order that don't even fit the actual facts. It is getting harder and harder to publish work that promotes the real purpose of these subfields, so I hope you can be part of the solutions as you look at these questions and not get lost in trivial and insignificant questions which is what has been happening.

David Lempert, Ph.D., J.D., M.B.A., E.D. (Hon.)

We understand that anthropology is a discipline that focuses on evolutionary themes, the only way to understand the evolution of the human mind is through rhetorical forms within literature, the use, disuse, abandonment and abuse of certain literary forms through its human evolution are without a doubt the predominant feature to understand higher cognitive processes in the development of man as such. We can find this in rock art, pottery designs, textile designs and even in oral mythology which was passed on to us by generations.

Answers: To some degree, but not completely; and yes, they can be. Question: Are you being paid to do this?

Literature can be profoundly understood through an anthropological lens as it reflects and shapes cultural practices, social norms, values, and human experiences across time and space. Anthropologists often examine literature not merely as an artistic form but as a cultural artifact embedded with symbolic meanings, historical contexts, and ethnographic insights.

Anthropologists analyze literature to uncover patterns of belief, rituals, and ideologies within societies. Literary texts often function as microcosms of human experience, mirroring societal structures, moral frameworks, and existential questions. In anthropology, names and proper nouns are not arbitrary but function as symbols of identity, status, and cultural meaning. They often carry social, spiritual, and historical significance, reflecting a community’s worldview and relational structures.

In summary, anthropologically, literature serves as both mirror and lamp, reflecting cultural realities while illuminating hidden meanings and possibilities. Proper nouns, whether mythic, sacred, or ordinary, are deeply symbolic and provide layers of interpretation related to identity, power, and cosmology. As anthropologists decode these symbols, literature emerges not just as art but as a repository of human experience and a textual ethnography of society.

David Lempert, I am very pleased with your engagement with my question; it has greatly expanded my understanding.

I would like to know to what extent names can carry symbols related to a primitive past. For instance, names given to men such as: Rock, Rain, Sky Water, and names of herbs and many others. Can these names bear primitive symbols? Do they tell us stories from the community's past?

Additionally, if possible, I hope to have some of your time for personal communication so that I can benefit from your experience in this field.

Best regards, Mohammed

Enrique Ruiz, I find this topic fascinating. Could you provide more references or elaborate on "Understanding the Evolution of the Human Mind through Rhetorical Forms in Literature"? I would particularly appreciate a detailed or explanatory account of how to apply this aspect.

Best regards, Mohammed

Bob Zybach, Could you please elaborate further? There is no one paying me for this; I am preparing a Ph.D. dissertation on a topic that combines literary texts and anthropology.

Best regards, Mohammed

Charles White, Your response is very interesting and contains many important details. Can we consider names as "symbolic containers/templates," if that term is accurate? To what extent can this symbolism apply to names?

It seems your answer has sparked many questions in my mind. Could I have the opportunity to communicate with you personally, whether through private messages or email, to inquire about certain matters and request some references related to the topic?

With all respect, Mohammed

Mohammed Alaoui; Literature is a superior cognitive process of the mind, through the analysis of rhetorical forms on parietal and portable art designs, we try to distinguish the oldest forms of literature known to man. This identification allows us to understand the evolutio

n process of the mind. Literature is elevated as the most reliable and oldest trait for understanding cultural transitions between hominids.

https://www.academia.edu/103854131/In_search_of_superior_cognitive_processes_in_the_Palaeolithic_cultures_of_Europe_a_literary_analysis_of_their_paleo_art

Enrique Ruiz, This appears to be very beneficial for the theoretical part of my research. I will make sure to review your scholarly article on Academia. May I have the opportunity to communicate with you and take a bit of your time?

Best regards, Mohammed

Mohammed Alaoui Esmaili, certainly. Will send you my info. Maybe this is more appropriate for your work: https://www.academia.edu/121931445/From_a_Scenic_to_an_Ideographic_Package_The_Explosion_of_Rethorical_Forms_Between_8_000_to_1_000_BCE_in_the_Peruvian_Andes

Mohammed, I'm not exactly sure what you are getting at with your specific question about men's names like Rock, Rain, Sky Water and what link you are looking for to the "primitive past". The choice of personal names tells you what cultures value and how they think about their place related to the past like your name and mine -- both historic figures in our traditions, and both names having earlier meanings. I don't think most people today research these earlier meanings and traditions very deeply; probably only anthropologists or fiction writers trying to find earlier meanings do. All words, not just names, have these earlier origins in ancient languages and there are sometimes long debates about the original meanings, often ancient spirits and deities from what earlier groups believed but that have mostly lost their relevance (like days of the week and names of the month, names of the planets and so on). Ultimately, though, our analysis stops with the names and words of cultures that had writing, because we can only trace things back to what is written and we can't put ourselves in the places of earlier humans and know exactly what they thought without projecting our own values on to them such that our interpretations lose validity. So, you can study how cultures today name their children and how they make these choices consciously and then what they also seemto do subconsciously and you can use that to tell you what the cultures value and how they try to reinforce those values. Once you go beyond that, you are just turning into the kinds of mysticism of the past way before the expanded development of science and technology and you are essentially becoming primitive yourself, which unfortunately is what too many people are doing today in turning away from reason out of their sense of powerlessness. That leads to a rejection of seeking to improve our world for the future and is a form of self-destruction and cultural suicide. It's not the purpose of scholarship and ends up destroying the assumptions and goals of scholarship.

Best,

David .

David Lempert, Perhaps my question to you may take on a different dimension once you are more familiar with the specifics of my academic research. There is no doubt that I would greatly benefit from your insights and guidance— and indeed, I have already benefited greatly from your engagement. Therefore, may I request some of your time to communicate with you either privately on this platform, via email or through any preferred means of communication?

I am very enthusiastic about engaging in a fruitful scientific discussion on this subject.

With unending appreciation, Mohammed

Dear Mohammed,

I think it is fine to continue the discussion here for others to see and my email is easy to find for anyone searching me on-line.

"Water" is a common name among Vietnamese women (they use the old Chinese word, "Thuy"), seeing water and different kinds of water and colors as things of beauty. Names are still gendered with male names indicating strength and women's names indicating nature and beauty as in many other languages (like your noting the name of "Rock" or "Rocky" as a male name in English). Of course this probably goes back to the earliest names and seems to be common across cultures. In the Indian Hindu religious traditions of "mountains and water" with the female as water and the male as mountain, this can also be reflected in names. "Sky" is also used across cultures and is mostly linked to females.

Maybe you are viewing these as "primitive" because in industrial cultures today that promote equality, the idea is to emphasize strength and gentleness for men and women without gendering these concepts. But the reality is that names still are mostly gendered. So this indicates that cultures are hard to change and that gender roles are still perpetuated. You could argue and test whether this is a result of genetic realities challenging cultural attempts to overcome them or whether the claims that we make about equality in industrial society are a myth. If parents want to make the gender identities of their children clear and want to pick a female name, they could just add markers to some male names to make them female (like an "a" at the end), so the problem might not entirely be a lack of female names that are gender neutral. You could do a study to test this if you wanted.

One thing that I have found just as a father trying to pick children's names and discussing them with my wife who comes from a different tradition is that even ancient names that seem to have a clear meaning often have competing meanings as they have been used over time by different groups. Ultimately, it is up to children to give meaning to their own lives and names as they find meaning and affirm principles in how they lead their own lives, hopefully after considering the positive and negative attributes of those who have had their names historically and those who are presented to them as role models (for example, those who share their birthdays).

Best,

David

Dear David Lempert ,

I couldn't find your email address online. If possible, could you provide it to me or allow me to contact you directly through the platform?

Overall, I wholeheartedly and with great admiration agree with what you said, especially considering that names carry an inherent gender division, which is very difficult to escape.

However, don't you think that names like "Rock, Water of the Sky" or any similar names might have a primitive symbolic connection to the early human interest in the four natural elements? Or at least, could they be a manifestation of their sacred aspects that are still deeply embedded in the core of human culture?

It is similar to the example you previously mentioned about the names of months, days, and seasons... Do you think studying them from this perspective is effective? To what extent can they be treated as symbols that narrate an ancient connection?

Best regards,

Mohammed

Dear Mohammed,

You can always contact anyone on Research Gate by sending a letter and then parties can share emails. This protects everyone from having their emails end up on Spam lists.

In answer to your questions on the "four elements", which I think you mean from Heraclitus or Anaximander and the Greeks ("Fire, Earth, Air and Water"), these concepts did travel internationally but some civilizations had a slightly different list or had six elements and all of this is now replaced by the modern science of physical forces, chemical elements and the nature of matter.

Usually in Western names, these elements are found in names of "Gods" who controlled those elements like Thor (or Donner) connected with lightning/thunder and fire, and with these ending up as weekday names for Thursday (or Donnerstag in German). So, if you mean by "sacred" that cultures connected all of the things in their world with names of "Gods", of course you can find a lot of that in names. But in Anthropology, many of us think of "sacred" just meaning adding stress on something that keeps the culture alive by making it disproportionately fearful or pleasurable so that some BEHAVIOR continues to be copied or prohibited/taboo.

The elements aren't really "behaviors" that would be part of a cultural strategy of survival except maybe for some agricultural societies. For example, the "dat - nuoc" ("earth - water") connection that is the word "country/nation" in Vietnamese, stresses that the nation relies on land and water for survival (rice growing seasons and rivers and sea) and that this is "sacred". But I don't think your research into names for what is or was "sacred" is going to lead you anywhere in itself.

What you need to make this research valuable is to add a scientific question such as how and why the culture has been maintained or changed. In the case of the "four elements" what made those change was the natural advance of human science and technology in understanding nature.

The names of things can help you to find the influences of colonization and trade in a culture's history and can also help point to how behaviors may have been protected or changed over time as well as the advance of science and technology. That's what is important to know. The names are a form of data that allows you to measure something you are examining to anwer a scientific question. Looking for what is "sacred" is magic and religion.

The goal of Anthropology as a social science was not be become a form of religion or magic (with is really "Anthroposophy/Anthroposophism") but to explain WHY people turn to religion and magic to reinforce certain cultural behaviors and also how they developed technology in specific environments. So, I study names for the data they offer on cultural behaviors, believing that human survival depends on advancing our knowledge of our behaviors and assuming that there is nothing else to find in the names themselves. From this perspective, names are just sounds that we give meaning to. They don't have meanings in themselves. The search for it suggests you are looking for religion or magic because the culture you are in is not meeting your needs. For an Anthropologist, that means that your culture is collapsing and you need to find a better survival strategy.

Best,

David

Dear David Lempert ,

I tried to contact you via ResearchGate, but you need to follow me on the platform for us to start a conversation.

In fact, discussing the elements in terms of their sacredness would not be from the perspective of them being "mechanisms for preserving cultural life," as they are far from that. However, my work on them will take a more comprehensive and expansive approach, encompassing various manifestations within a single culture, not limited to names only.

My focus on names arose from the significant questions they provoked in me, especially considering that they might carry an underlying message that the studied culture had intellectually or practically connected with the elements, similar to natural philosophers.

Regarding your last point, are you suggesting that culture inherently resorts to religion and magic to maintain its continuity?

To what extent can culture employ concepts and symbols without fully understanding their implications and significance within its own cultural thought?

With utmost gratitude,

Mohammed

Hi, Sebeok has autonomized the name as a proper class of signs. Besides the Peircean set {symbol, icone, index} he joined another {signal, symptom, name}.

First get rid of the idea of any 'primitive past' (Graeber & Wengrow). Anthropology does not write of that any more (but many still think that way). Use the theoretical framework of the eight cognitive biases (Goodwyn, etc). That will lead you to a structuralist approach to literature, which remains valid, despite having stopped short in anthropology. Names contain two elements: meaning (semiotic), and styling (meaningless, but strong applications in bonding us v them, and exploiting 'them'). Literature is modern legend, trying to make 'history' and myth. Resist the temptation to practice a craft, check that you study the craft, without commodifying some works, or turning analysis into a craft. Isolate the three levels of consciousness in author, and in likely readers, and in your analysis; conscious logic, semi-conscious symbolic logic, and subconscious archetypal logic. There is no 'unconscious' levels, since we have some conscious access to the subconscious (Plato, Jung, and my work). See structuralist theory in my paper about Medieval pop culture (relevant to any era), here: https://stoneprintjournal.wordpress.com/2024/01/08/archetypal-structure-in-medieval-pop-culture/

Edmond Furter What is " design " meant when discussing the elements of name construction? I will also review your research paper to understand the structuralist theory in literary analysis better.

Mr Esmaili, my publication that focuses on myth, and applies to literature, is Stoneprint Journal 7, using the Hercules myth cycle as an example of subconscious expression of archetypal structure. I have posted two or three extracts from that magazine edition, here is one: https://stoneprintjournal.wordpress.com/2021/01/16/hercules-arcadia-and-greece-myth-maps/ And the edition about cosmograms is relevant, since it analyses the modern myth of 'aliens' by way of the SETI saga of wishful thinking and some hoaxes: https://www.academia.edu/112811634/SETIs_aliens_are_modern_myth_by_Furter_E_D_2023_Stoneprint_Journal_8_extract_for_Academia_and_ResearchGate

Edmond Furter

Please follow me on ResearchGate to allow me to respond to your message in private. Your research on Hercules sounds very interesting and more or less useful in my field. I look forward to having a private discussion with you after you follow me on the platform.