Emic and etic

Emisch and etic are terms that are used in many social sciences to describe alternative approaches as well as different types of data.

General

Emisch means "with the eyes of an insider, " a culture or a system and refers to a description that is meaningful primarily from the perspective of a participant of the culture being studied. It can therefore not be neutral and should not either.

An etic description, however, is that of an " observer from the outside ." An etic description builds on the knowledge and vocabulary of the observer and is intended to be as neutral as possible.

Whether one takes an emic or etic perspective to cultural analysis depends on theoretical presuppositions. Both access methods provide important insights from the relevant culture system. Herdin / Luger developed here a model of a methodology that seeks to be both perspectives meet.

Conceptual history

( Phonology )

(Morphology)

Introduced the concepts of the American linguist Kenneth Pike, who she claims to be derived from the pair of terms phonetics and phonemics, as the underlying approach of linguistics in general be transposed to the social sciences. In linguistics, the distinction affects both the physical characteristics ( etic ) by linguistic units, on the other hand, the properties in the language system ( langue = ) are crucial for the functioning of communication.