Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech

Rating:
Summary: Read, then move on to Bloomfield
Review: As an overview of early 20th-century Structural linguistics, few criticisms of this book can be made. It is comprehensive, covering phono-/morphology, the relationship of language and thought, language change, culture, and finally literature, and it uses a wide range of world languages for illustration. Though syntax is not given a complete discussion, it is hard to fault Sapir, since it is still a point of contention how to go about this. The writing throughout is both engaging and extremely precise. Even when, as in the chapter on "Drift," Sapir puts forward a questionable hypothesis, his sharp linguistic intuitions yield insight and prevent him from straying too far from the data.

Leonard Bloomfield's book, also called Language, is a longer work with a slightly wider scope in some respects than Sapir's.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best general introductions to linguistics.
Review: Sapir's 1921 "Language" is one of the finest of many fine works by the distinguished linguist, anthropologist and humanist. With piercing yet accessible insight, he guides the reader through fundamental questions about language: How are culture and language related? How does language work? How do languages vary? Although there are many general introductions to the subject (Bloomfield's and Jesperson's volume come to mind), Sapir's is unmatched for sheer readability in interest. Highly recommended.