Editing Emic and etic (section)

{{Short description|Two kinds of anthropologic field research}}
{{About|the anthropological terms|emic and etic concepts in linguistics|emic unit}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Anthropology |methods}}

In [[anthropology]], [[folkloristics]], [[linguistics]], and the [[social sciences|social]] and [[behavioral sciences]], '''''emic''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|iː|m|ɪ|k}}) and '''''etic''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɛ|t|ɪ|k}}) refer to two kinds of [[field research]] done and viewpoints obtained.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.sil.org/~headlandt/ee-intro.htm |title=EE intro |publisher=SIL}}</ref>

The ''emic'' approach is an insider's perspective, which looks at the [[Belief|beliefs]], [[Value (ethics and social sciences)|values]], and practices of a particular [[culture]] from the perspective of the people who live within that culture. This approach aims to understand the cultural meaning and significance of a particular behavior or practice, as it is understood by the people who engage in it.<ref name=":0">{{Cite encyclopedia |last1=Mostowlansky |first1=Till |last2=Rota |first2=Andrea |date=29 November 2020 |title=Emic and etic |url=https://boris.unibe.ch/154189/1/till_mostowlansky_andrea_rota-2020-emic_and_etic-cea.pdf |encyclopedia=[[Open Encyclopedia of Anthropology]]|doi=10.29164/20emicetic |language=en|editor=Stein, Felix|doi-access=free }}</ref>

The ''etic'' approach, on the other hand, is an outsider's perspective, which looks at a culture from the perspective of an outside observer or researcher. This approach tends to focus on the observable behaviors and practices of a culture, and aims to understand them in terms of their functional or evolutionary significance. The etic approach often involves the use of [[Standardization|standardized]] measures and frameworks to compare different cultures and may involve the use of concepts and theories from other disciplines, such as [[psychology]] or [[sociology]].<ref name=":0" />

The emic and etic approaches each have their own strengths and limitations, and each can be useful in understanding different aspects of culture and behavior. Some [[Anthropologist|anthropologists]] argue that a combination of both approaches is necessary for a complete understanding of a culture, while others argue that one approach may be more appropriate depending on the specific research question being addressed.<ref name=":0" />