Another type of cultural anthropologist is the linguistic anthropologist. Anthropologists are interested in language because language is perhaps the most important element that has made the human, cultural type of adaptation a success. Linguistic anthropologists study the ways in which language facilitates both complex thinking processes and the development and maintenance of the complicated social interactions associated with human life. Since both language and culture are symbolic systems, the linguistic anthropologist is interested in the ways in which these two types of systems interact and affect each other. Linguistic anthropologists also specialize in the description and analysis of languages and in the historical reconstruction of early languages and their associated cultures.
Biological anthropologists are concerned with the biological and biocultural dimensions of humanity.
They study the origins and the evolution of human beings as organisms, their biological variations, and the interrelationships between human biology and culture. Since human beings are closely related to the great apes, some biological anthropologists specialize in the study of primate behavior and anatomy to help understand our physical and social origins. Patterns of health and disease, human genetics, demography, and questions of race and racism are other central interests in biological anthropology. The Major The Anthropology Department is one of the largest in New England, with 15 full-time faculty members, about 210 undergraduate majors, and 85 graduate students. All four subdisciplines are represented by the faculty of four archaeologists, four biological anthropologists, and seven socio-cultural anthropologists, including one anthropological linguist.