This monograph explores the way that traditional oratory in a Samoan village has been shaped by the needs of the political process. The author explains how grammar has been used to distribute praise and blame, in a way that also defines the standing of individuals in the community.
"Innovative and thorough scholarship by an acknowledged leader in his field, one which lies at the often quite baffling intersection of linguistics and anthropology."-Donald L. Brenneis, Editor, American Ethnologist
