Linguistic Anthropology: A Reader is a comprehensive collection of the best work that has been published in this exciting and growing area of anthropology, and is organized to provide a guide to the study of language as a cultural resource and speaking as a cultural practice. The selections are both historically oriented and thematically coherent and are grouped according to four major themes: speech community and communicative competence; the performance of language; language socialization and literacy practices; and the power of language. Noted scholar Alessandro Duranti's extensive introduction provides an original perspective on the development of the field and highlights its most compelling issues. Each section of the volume includes a brief introductory statement, a set of guiding questions, and a list of recommended readings.

The editor is Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Language, Interaction and Culture at UCLA. His publications include From Grammar to Politics: Linguistic Anthropology in a Western Samoan Village (1994), Linguistic Anthropology (1997) and Key Terms in Language and Culture (Blackwell, 2001). He is the recipient of various awards, including the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, the UCLA Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award, and the American Anthropological Association/Mayfield Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.