Therefore not only communication systems of animals are excluded from his definition of language but also any human articulation that is not symbolic or voluntary, e.g., instinctive cries. Sapir characterizes language as purely human and non-instinctive, consisting of a conventional system of arbitrary sound symbols that are produced voluntarily. Beginning with Sapir’s definition and characterization of language I want to carve out the function of language structure in connection with language change, its impact on world view, and finally Sapir’s conclusions concerning an artificial international language. In this paper I want to give an overview on his inquiries into the function and form of languages as arbitrary systems of symbolisms. He treats language as a cultural product and considers linguistics to be a fruitful possibility of a scientific study of society. As Edward Sapir first approached the field of linguistics in the course of his anthropologist studies, his view on language is one that takes into account not only cultural studies but the whole range of human sciences, among them psychology, sociology, and philosophy.
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