Language An Introduction to the Study of Speech - Edward Sapir

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Résumé :
This book aims to give a certain perspective on the subject of language rather than to assemble facts about it. It has little to say of the ultimate psychological basis of speech and gives only enough of the actual descriptive or historical facts of particular languages to illustrate principles. Its main purpose is to show what we conceive language to be, what is its variability in place and time, and what are its relations to other fundamental human interests-the problem of thought, the nature of the historical process, race, culture, art.

Biographie:
The renowned American linguist and anthropologist Edward Sapir (1884-1939) made substantial contributions to the study of language and linguistics. He was born in Lauenburg, Germany, and immigrated to America at the age of five with his family. Sapir graduated with a Bachelor's degree from Columbia University in 1904, and the same university also awarded him a Ph.D. in anthropology in 1909. Afterwards, he had academic posts at a number of institutions, including Yale University and the Universities of California, Berkeley, Chicago, and Los Angeles. At Yale, he taught anthropology and linguistics. Sapir's research centred on the study of language and culture, and he significantly influenced both of them. His writings on the topic, such as The Takelma Language of Southwestern Oregon and The Southern Paiute Language, are widely regarded as pioneering studies of Native American languages. Sapir was not only a scholar but also a gifted poet and writer. In addition to The Psychology of Culture and Selected Essays in Language, Culture, and Personality, he also produced many poetry collections. We now have a far deeper grasp of language and society as a result of Sapir's contributions to the fields of linguistics and anthropology. He is still a major player in the subject today, and his research is still being examined and discussed by academics all around the globe....

Sommaire:
This book aims to give a certain perspective on the subject of language rather than to assemble facts about it. It has little to say of the ultimate psychological basis of speech and gives only enough of the actual descriptive or historical facts of particular languages to illustrate principles. Its main purpose is to show what we conceive language to be, what is its variability in place and time, and what are its relations to other fundamental human interests-the problem of thought, the nature of the historical process, race, culture, art....