Evidence that socially mixed groups have animal names more often than homogeneous groups

What is it about?

To test my argument – that socially mixed societies in the Arab world tend to have non-human names more often than homogeneous societies – I examined the names found in seven different Bedouin tribes. I provided estimates of social homogeneity for these tribes and then measured the extent to which their group names referred to natural species. I found a rough correlation between a tribe’s internal homogeneity and semantic characteristics of its group names. Homogeneous tribes tend to use names for its internal segments that are derived from names for people. I also found that when a tribe is heterogeneous – that is, it includes members of diverse origins – it tends to use names for its internal segments that refer to animals, plants, and birds. I also compared Bedouin tribes – which usually are socially heterogeneous and include client groups that have attached themselves to Bedouin protectors – with more homogeneous, sedentary agricultural tribes in northern Jordan. I found a slightly higher frequency of animal names for the internal segments of Bedouin tribes than for the internal segments of non-Bedouin tribes.

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Photo by Peggy Anke on Unsplash

Photo by Peggy Anke on Unsplash

Why is it important?

To convince readers that my new explanation of why Bedouin tribes have animal names is correct, I first presented a logical argument for it. Then I tested it against data. Progress in the behavioral sciences requires more than demonstrating that explanations are plausible. Explanations must also be consistent with the empirical facts.

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