Synopses & Reviews
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."
Synopsis
"For sheer brilliance Edward Sapir is unsurpassed by any American anthropologist, living or dead."Cylde Kluckhohn, Harvard University
Table of Contents
Language
The Function of an International Auxiliary Language
The Status of Linguistics as a Science
Culture, Genuine and Spurious
The Meaning of Religion
Cultural Anthropology and Psychiatry
Personality
Psychiatric and Cultural Pitfalls in the Business of Getting a Living
The Emergence of the Concept of Personality in a Study of Cultures