Edward Sapir Quotes

A collection of quotes by Edward Sapir.

Edward Sapir was an influential figure in the field of linguistics and anthropology. Born on January 26, 1884, in Pomerania (then part of Germany, now in Poland), he later moved to the United States. Sapir earned a Ph.D. in Germanic languages from Columbia University in 1909, and went on to become one of the leading linguists of his time.

Sapir's work focused on the study of language, culture, and the relationship between them. He developed the concept of "linguistic relativity," arguing that the language we speak shapes our perception of the world. This idea, known as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, had a profound impact on linguistics and influenced fields such as psychology and anthropology.

Throughout his career, Sapir held various academic positions and conducted extensive fieldwork, particularly among Native American communities in the United States and Canada. He made significant contributions to the documentation and analysis of indigenous languages, which were often at risk of extinction.

In addition to his linguistic research, Sapir also explored the connections between language and culture. His interdisciplinary approach combined anthropological theories with linguistic analysis, providing new insights into the diversity and complexity of human societies.

Edward Sapir became a leading figure in the development of linguistic anthropology and made lasting contributions to the field of linguistics until his untimely death on February 4, 1939, at the age of 55. His ideas continue to shape our understanding of language, culture, and human cognition.

A firm, for instance, that does business in many countries o

A firm, for instance, that does business in many countries of the world is driven to spend an enormous amount of time, labour, and money in providing for translation services.

Edward Sapir

Business

Cultural anthropology is more and more rapidly getting to re

Cultural anthropology is more and more rapidly getting to realize itself as a strictly historical science.

Edward Sapir

Science

Human beings do not live in the objective world alone, nor a

Human beings do not live in the objective world alone, nor alone in the world of social activity as ordinarily understood, but are very much at the mercy of the particular language which has become the medium of expression for their society.

Edward Sapir

Alone

The attitude of independence toward a constructed language w

The attitude of independence toward a constructed language which all national speakers must adopt is really a great advantage, because it tends to make man see himself as the master of language instead of its obedient servant.

Edward Sapir

Attitude

Nothingever happened on this globe, for good, at which some

Nothingever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the onset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have a malady in the less attractive forms.

Charles Dickens

Dad

It is no secret that the fruits of language study are in no

It is no secret that the fruits of language study are in no sort of relation to the labour spent on teaching and learning them.

Edward Sapir

Learning

The modern mind tends to be more and more critical and analy

The modern mind tends to be more and more critical and analytical in spirit, hence it must devise for itself an engine of expression which is logically defensible at every point and which tends to correspond to the rigorous spirit of modern science.

Edward Sapir

Science

It is quite an illusion to imagine that one adjusts to reali

It is quite an illusion to imagine that one adjusts to reality essentially without the use of language and that language is merely an incidental means of solving specific problems of communication or reflection.

Edward Sapir

Communication