语言人类学（Linguistic Anthropology）是人类学的分支，将语言学研究方法运用于人类学问题上，将符号或特殊语言形式与过程联结到社会文化过程的诠释。
最早的理论典范原本被称为语言学（linguistics），虽然当这门学科及相关的研究领域发展成熟之后，称为 “人类学式的语言学”（anthropological linguistics）。这个领域专门研究这个次学科所独有的一些主题：对于被视为注定要灭绝的语言所做的语言学记录（有一些北美原住民语言成为这个次学科学者所关注的焦点），例如：
在1960年代，戴尔·海姆斯主要负责发起第二种理论典范，将“语言人类学”（linguistic anthropology）这个名称固定下来，虽然他也创造了“言谈民族志”（ethnography of speaking，或“沟通民族志” ethnography of communication）这个术语，来描述他为这个学术领域所设想的架构。这包含了运用录音设备等新的科技发展。
海姆斯也引介了一种新的分析单位。有鉴于在第一种理论典范聚焦于表面上独特的“语言”（引号表示当代的语言人类学家将“一个语言”的概念视为一种理想建构，从而掩盖了这个语言内部的复杂性，以及“跨越”所谓的语言界线的复杂性）；第二种理论典范的分析单位是“言谈事件”（speech event）。（言谈事件是一个事件，由发生在这个事件之中的言谈所界定的，例如，一场晚宴并不是一个言谈事件，而是一个言谈情境，在这种情境下，言谈可能会发生，也可能不会发生。）有许多学者专注于在这些言谈事件中，参与者对他们的语言表现型态所提出的解释。
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海姆斯也开创了语言人类学的一种研究方法，民族诗学。
海姆斯希望将语言人类学更密切联结到人类学这个母学科。语言人类学这个名称强调它的首要身份是人类学，并且是“人类学式的语言学”。如今这在大多数的大学是一门独立学科（而不是在法兰兹·鲍亚士和萨丕尔的时代）。然而，语言人类学这个理论典范，标志着它跟人类学的其他分支学科进一步的疏远。
在1980年代后期兴起的第三种理论典范，并不是继续追求来自一个让人类学感到陌生的学科（语言学）的各项议题，语言人类学家有系统地专注于自己母学科人类学所提出的各项议题，但运用了语言学的资料和方法。在这第三种理论典范的热门研究议题，包括社会身份认同的调查研究、普遍共同具有的意识形态，以及在个人和团体之间的互动中，论述的建构与运用方式。
当代语言人类学研究延续了上述的三个理论典范。有几个领域关连到第三种典范，也就是对于人类学议题的研究，这是当代语言人类学家特别专注的领域。
语言人类学的作品有许多从语言学角度探讨社会文化认同的议题。语言人类学家库利克（Don Kulick）在巴布亚新几内亚一个名为迦普恩（Gapun）的村落，依据对许多场景的分析，研究语言与认同的关系。[3]库利克探讨了迦普恩的儿童如何使用两种语言──传统语言“塔伊阿普”（Taiap）只在自己村落使用，从而标示了一种根本赋予的（primordially）迦普恩人身份认同。另一种语言则是巴布亚皮钦语（在新几内亚盛行的官方语言）。 （语言人类学家使用“标示”（indexical）这个字的意思是指标性。[4]）
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