To explore «the native point of view,» and to think as much as possible as local actors do, remain the central concern of the anthropologist. Emic is the technical suffix that covers popular or local representations and discourse, while etic designates external and observational data, or the researcher's interpretation. The linguist Pike was the first to elaborate this opposition, that was introduced later into anthropology (and «hardened») by Harris. A huge polemic opposed then «eticists»

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... Harris) and emicists (as the interpretativists), but it died from its own excesses. Today more subtle distinctions are needed. For instance, to distinguish different levels in the emic register, and to explore how to access local meanings empirically.