Sapir was skillfull at analyzing unwritten languages on the basis of his own fieldwork. He contributed significantly to the mapping of languages and cultures of native America.

An expert, accessible study, this book asks and answers fundamental questions about how language works, its regional variations, and its cultural and historical roles. The author relates linguistic issues to a broad spectrum of other areas, including the part played by language in the nature of thought and in artistic expression. No finer introduction to the subject exists, and this work's direct style and thought-provoking topics extend its appeal beyond the classroom.

Edward Sapir was one of those men, rare among scientists and scholars, who are spoken of by their colleagues in terms of genius. His writings on frontier problems in cultural anthropology, psychology, and linguistics are outstanding for their provocative insights and remarkable control of factual data. His long essay on language, his principal field of study, is an illuminating exploration of various aspects of the subject. His stress on the fact that language is a cultural or social product helped to make linguistics an integral part of the study of man. The interplay of culture and personality was a field where Sapir was a pioneer and many of his essays have become classics in the social sciences. The nine contributions brought together in this volume well show the distinction and lasting quality of Sapir's work. They include "Culture, Genuine and Spurious," "The Meaning of Religion," "Language," "Cultural Anthropology and Psychiatry," and "The Statue of Linguistics as a Science." Edward Sapir was one of those men, rare among scientists and scholars, who are spoken of by their colleagues in terms of genius. His writings on frontier problems in cultural anthropology, psychology, and linguistics are outstanding for their provocative

Edward Sapir's seminal work, "Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech," is not just a collection of linguistic facts but a quest to understand the very essence of language, its evolution, and its profound connection to human thought, culture, and artistic expression. Published in 1921, the book transcends its era, offering insights that remain relevant and thought-provoking even today.

This is without doubt the most important book ever written on the subject of Language and Linguistics. It is a basic book, covering all the then known branches of the large field. It is therefore must reading for anybody interested in a deep study of languages. This is a book which is basic in its subject and popular enough to be of interest to the general reader. The psychological and formal characteristics of speech are carefully established and after studying the historical factors that have molded it the author has devoted his last chapters to the wider bearings of linguistic science and to furnishing a clear understanding as the ever changing instruments of our emotions and mental activity. "This book of Mr. Sapir's distinguishes itself from other general treatment of the problems of linguistics by its power to stimulate thoughts about the subject. There is nothing trite or matter-of-fact between the covers. The discussions sporing from an unusually wide acquaintance with language in all its varieties and a scholarly understanding of the principles of psychology underlying expression. But, more than by its learning, the book impresses us by its quick insight and acute analysis. A capital illustration is the treatment of the problem of classifying languages. . . . There is also a great deal that is suggestive in what the writer has said about the process in phonetic change. Especially noteworthy in this connection is the emphasis he places on what he calls 'patterning'. . . . Closely related to patterning is the discussion of 'drift', the idea that changes in language are not random but move in a definite direction. . . . A gratifying feature, not unusual in books of this class is a chapter showing the dependence of literary style on the phonetic and formal characteristics of a language."