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Edward Sapir
Franz Boas
International Journal of American Linguistics, Vol. 10, No. 1. (May, 1939), pp. 58-63.
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Fri Jan 4 10:13:48 2008
5 8
IN T E R N A T IO N A L
JO U R N A L
O F
A M E R IC A N
L IN G U IS T IC S
V O L .
X
EDW ARD
S A P IRt \ue000
W ith
th e
d e a th
o f
E d w a rd
S a p ir w h ic h
o c c u rre d
o n
th e
fo u rth
of
F e b ru a ry
p a s s e d
aw ay
o n e of
th e
m o p t b rillia n t
scholars in
lin g u is tic s a n d a n th ro p o lo g y of o u r c o u n tr y .
B orn in
G erm any on
J a n u a r y
26, 1884, he
was taken
b y
his parents to Am erica when
fiv e y e a rs o ld .
A fter
o b ta in in g
th e
B a c h e lo r's
d e g r e e of
C o lu m b ia
College in
1904, he
c o n tin u e d
i n
th e
g ra d u a te
s c h o o l, d e v o tin g
h im self
f i r s t
to the study of G erm anics.
S o o n h is in te re s ts
b ro a d e n e d
a n d h e a c q u ire d
k n o w le d g e in
a
w ide field of
lin g u is tic s .
T h is b ro u g h t h im

in to c o n ta c t n o t o n ly w ith S e m itic la n g u a g e s but also w ith the m any languages of A m eri- c a n

In d ia n s
a n d
in d ire c tly
w ith
a n th ro -
p o lo g y .
I n 1 9 0 5 , w h ile s till a s tu d e n t a t C o lu m b ia
U n iv e rs ity ,
h e
s tu d ie d
th e
la n g u a g e
a n d
c u s to m s of
th e
W ishram , a
trib e
liv in g
o n
lo w e r
C o lu m b ia
R iv er.
T he
g ra m m a tic a l
r e s u l t s
of
th is
in v e s tig a tio n
w ere
p u b -
lished in the H andbook of Am erican Indian
Languages, w hile the texts appeared
as the
s e c o n d
v o lu m e
of
th e
P u b lic a tio n s of
th e
A m e ric a n E th n o lo g ic a l S o c ie ty .
I n
1 9 0 6 , w h ile s till a t C o lu m b ia , h e m a d e
a
s tu d y
of
th e
la n g u a g e
of
th e
T a k e lm a
In d ia n s of
O re g o n , p la n n e d
as part of
th e
g e n e ra l
H andbook
of
A m erican
In d ia n
L a n g u a g e s
p u b lis h e d
b y
th e
B ureau

of A m e ric a n E th n o lo g y . T h e g ra m m a r re s u ltin g fro m

these studies show ed his understanding
fo r u n u s u a l fo rm s of lin g u is tic e x p re s s io n .
I n
1907 and
1908 he
went to
C a lifo rn ia
w here
h e
u n d e rto o k
lin g u is tic
f i e l d
s tu d ie s

am ong the Y ana Indians, the results of w hich w ere published in 1910 by the U niversity of C a lifo rn ia .

L a te r
o n
h e
re tu rn e d
t o

th is subject in 1922, 1923,and 1929. A fter a year he cam e back to C olum bia U niversity, w here h e o b ta in e d

th e
d e g r e e of
D o c to r of
P h ilo -
sophy. E ven before this he w as called to the
U n iv ersity
of
P e n n s y lv a n ia , w h e re
h e
w as
in s tru c to r
fro m
1 9 0 8 -1 9 1 0
a n d
w here
h e
p u b lis h e d
the Takelm a
T e x ts o n w h ic h
h is
gram m ar w as based.
W h ile in P h ila d e lp h ia ,
h e
h a d
th e
o p p o rtu n ity
t o
s tu d y
P a iu te
w ith
a
n a tiv e
re s id e n t
i n
th a t
c ity ,
th e
r e s u l t s
of
w h ic h
w ere
n o t
p u b lis h e d
u n til
1931, the first thorough study of one of the
im p o rta n t
la n g u a g e s
of
th e
S h o s h o n ia n
G ro u p . T h is le d t o
a
careful com parison
o f
N a h u a tl a n d S o u th e rn P a iu te , p u b lish e d
b y
th e
S o c ih th
d e s
A m k ric a n is te s
of
P a ris
i n
1913 and 1915.
I n 1910 he w as called to O ttaw a to organize
a n th ro p o lo g ic a l w o rk

under the auspices of the Geological Survey which had carried on in c id e n ta l a n th ro p o lo g ic a l

w ork
u n d e r
th e

d ire c tio n of G e o rg eM .D a w so n . H is p rin c ip a l w ork in C anada related to the natives of the w est coast of V ancouver Island and to the A thapascan

t r i b e s .
P a rtic u la rly
th e
la tte r
w ere
th e
c e n te r of
h is
a tte n tio n
fo r m a n y

years and his own studies as well as, in later y e a rs , th o s e of h is s tu d e n ts c o n s titu te d m u c h of w h a t w e k n o w a b o u t th is w id e ly s c a tte re d g ro u p .

A fter
th e
f i r s t
fe w
y e a r s ,
la rg e ly
o w in g
t o
th e
W orld
W ar,
in te re s t
o f

th e C a n a d ia n g o v e rn m e n t in a n th ro p o lo g ic a l a n d lin g u is tic m a tte r s w a n e d a n d h e a c c e p te d a call to the U niversity of C hicago in 1925,first as associate professor

of a n th ro p o lo g y , th e n
i n
1 9 2 7
a s
p ro fe sso r
of
a n th ro p o lo g y
a n d

g e n e ra l lin g u is tic s . I n 1 9 3 1 h e re c e iv e d a c a ll b o th t o C o lu m b ia a n d Y a le U n iv e rs itie s , a n d a c c e p te d

th e
c a ll t o
Y ale, w here he served
as professor of
a n th ro p o lo g y
a n d lin g u is tic s
u n til h is d e a th .
O n ly h is o u ts ta n d in g
field studies can be
m e n tio n e d h e re .
H e sum m arized his general
v ie w s
o n
linguistics in
h is
e x c e lle n t
sh o rt
book "Language",
1 9 2 1 , w h ic h u n d o u b te d ly
h a s
h a d
a
stro n g
in flu e n c e
o n
lin g u is tic
science. H is interest w as prim arily historical,
NO.
1
EDW ARD

a n d w itha p h e n o m e n a l k n o w le d g e of a w id e field of facts he com bined a rare intuition. T h e s tric tn e s s of p h o n e tic m e th o d s a n d th e g e n e ra l a d o p tio n

of

p h o n e m ic p rin c ip le s in t h e s tu d y of p rim itiv e la n g u a g e s a r e la rg e ly d u e t o h im . H is a tte m p ts of e lu c id a tin g e a rlie r re la tio n s h ip s of A m e ric a n

la n g u a g e s a m o n g
th e m s e lv e s
a n d
w ith
A sia tic
la n g u a g e s
sh o w
h is in te re s ti n
th e h is to ric a l p ro b le m .
I t is s till d o u b tfu l h o w f a r e a rlie rre la tio n s h ip s
c a n
b e
re c o n s tru c te d ,
b u t
th e
p ro b le m
rem ain s w ith
us and
w ill a lw a y s c h a lle n g e
o u r a tte n tio n .

H is la s t p u b lis h e d p a p e r o n g lo tta liz e d c o n s o n a n ts in a n u m b e r of la n g u - ages and

th e
a p p lic a tio n
of
h is
r e s u l t s
t o
In d o -E u ro p e a n
a r e b rillia n t e x a m p le s of h is
m e th o d s .
T he
p re s e n c e
of
a
G w abo
n a tiv e
fro m
W est A frica in th e U nited
S ta te s g a v e h im
the opportunity to make a careful study of
th e
m usical pattern
of
th e
la n g u a g e .

T he gram m ar w hich he w orked outi nc o o p e ra tio n w ith D r. G e o rg e H e rz o g s till a w a its p u b lic a - tio n .

H is
a n th ro p o lo g ic a l p u b lic a tio n s
a re
le s s
num erous,
b u t
im p o rta n t.
T he

lin g u is tic m a te ria l c o lle c te d b y h im c o n ta in s , n a tu ra lly , m uch

a n th ro p o lo g ic a l in fo rm a tio n ,
b u t
h e

a lso p a id a tte n tio n t o m o re g e n e ra l p ro b le m s. Such are em bodied in his papers on "Term s of R e la tio n s h ip a n d t h e L e v ira te ," o n " T im e P e rs p e c tiv e

i n
A b o rig in a l
A m erican
C u l-
tu re s ," o n " C u ltu re , G e n u in e a n dS p u r i o u s " .
I n
la te r y e a rs h is in te re s t w a s c e n te re d o n
p ro b le m s of p e rs o n a lity .
H is e a rly d e a th h a s d e p riv e d u s of o n e of
th e
le a d e rs
i n
b o th
lin g u is tic
a n d
a n th ro -
p o lo g ic a l
th o u g h t.
T h o s e
w ho
k n e w
h im

p e rs o n a lly , h is w illin g n e s s t o g iv e lib e ra lly of h is k n o w le d g e a n d id e a s , w ill m is s h irn k e e n ly . H is w o rk

w ill liv e n o t o n ly in

h is w ritin g s b u t a ls o in th e s tu d e n ts h e h a s tra in e d a n d am ong w hom

h e h a s e s ta b lis h e d m e th o d s of
c o n s c ie n tio u s p a in s ta k in g
w o rk .
F e b ru a ry
1 9 3 9
FR A N Z
B O A S
C o lu m b ia U n iv e rs ity
S A F 'IR
t
6 9
B IB L IO G R A P H Y
O FEDW ARD
S A P IR .
1 9 0 7
R e lig io u s I d e a s of t h e T a k e lm a I n d i a n s of
S o u th -
w estern
O re g o n .
J o u r n a l
of
A m erican
F o lk -
L o r e , V o l.2 0 , p p .3 3 -4 9 .
N o te s
o n
th e
T a k e lm a
In d ia n s
o f

S o u th w e s te rn O re g o n . A m e r ic a n A n th r o p o lo g is t,N . S ., V o l.9 , p p . 2 5 1 -2 7 5 .

P re lim in a ry R e p o rt o n th e L a n g u a g e a n d M y th o -
lo g y
o f
th e
U pper
C h in o o k .
IE d .,
V o l.
9 ,
p p . 5 3 3 -5 4 4 .
1 9 0 8
H e r d e r 's
"U rsprung
der Sprache". M odern. P hilo-
lo g y , V o l.5 , p p .1 0 9 -1 4 2 .
1 9 0 9
T a k e lm a
T e x ts .
U n i v e r s i t y of
P e n n s y lv a n ia ,
T h e
M u s e u m , A n th r o p o lo g ic a l P u b lic a tio n s ,V o l.2 ,
p p .1 -2 6 3 .
W ishram
T e x ts ,
to g e th e r
w ith
W asco
T a le s a n d
M y th s
(c o lle c te d
b y J e re m ia h C u rtin ).
P u b li-
c a tio n s
of
th e
A m erican
E th m lo g ic a l
S o c ie ty ,
V o l.2 , L e y d e n .
pp. xv,3 1 4 .
1 9 1 0
S o n g R e c ita tiv e in P a iu te M y th o lo g y .
Journcsl of
Am erican Folk-Lore, V o l.2 3 , p p .4 5 .5 4 7 2 .
Y a n a T e x ts , to g e th e r w ith Y a n a M y th s .
(C o lle c te d
b y R o la n d B . D ix o n ).
U n iversity of C alifornia
P u b lic c a tw n s
i n
A m e r ic c ln
A r c h a e o lo g y
a n d
E th n o lo g y , V o l.9 , p p .1 -2 3 5 .
S o m e A s p e c ts of
N o o tk a
Language and
C u ltu re .
A m erican
A n th r o p o lo g is t,
N .
S .,
V o l.
1 3 ,
p p .1 5 -2 8 .
T h e P ro b le m
of N o u n
In c o rp o ra tio n
in A m erican
L a n g u a g e s .
I b id ., V o l.1 3 , p p .2 5 0 -2 8 2 .
T he
H isto ry
a n d
V a rie tie s
o f
H um an
S p e e c h .
Popular Science M onthly, V o l.7 9 , p p .4 5 -6 7 .
1 9 1 2
L a n g u a g e
a n d
E n v iro n m e n t.
A m e r ic c tn
A n th r o -
p o lo g is t,N .S ., V o l.1 4 , p p .2 2 6 -2 4 2 .
T h e T a k e lm a L a n g u a g e
of
S o u th w e s te rn
O re g o n .
H andbook
o f
A m erican
I n d ia n
L a n g w c g e a ,
B u r e a u
of
A m erican
E th n o lo g y ,
B u lle tin
4 0 ,
p a r t2 , p p .1 -2 9 6 .

T h e I n d ia n s of t h e P ro v in c e [of B ritis h C o lu m b ia ]. ( I n : B ritis h C o lu m b ia , its H is to r y , P e o p le , C o m - m erce,

In d u strie s,
a n d
R esources;
L o n d o n ,
S e lls L td .) , p p .1 3 5 -1 4 0 .
of 00

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