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Communication problems in post‐industrial society are seen to arise from two interacting factors: cultural differences and differences between lay and technical languages. They are a necessary consequence of the loosening of social boundaries and increasing technological specialization. Thus, they cannot be attributed to cultural or cognitive deprivation. Linguistic anthropology can contribute to a general theory of communication which may re‐orient research paradigms and predict the social effect of the communication gap.

Some of the most important developments in the sci'fic study of language are reviewed as to their relevance to our understanding of soc sci theory & human COMM. It is noted that concepts & res techniques derived from the study of linguistic form have profoundly affected the anthrop't's view of the nature of human culture & threaten to revolutionize psychol'al theories & concept formation as well as the sociol't's study of soc interaction, while the linguist is acquiring an increasing soc sci sophistication. The most recent literature on language & COMM is analyzed, with the focus on: (a) the psychol'al reality of reality of grammatical rules, (b) language development, (c) language & cognition, (d) the soc signif of speech variation, (e) the place of language in society, & (f) soc constraints on language behavior. In conclusion, linguistic interaction is defined as 'a process in which speakers take in clues from the outside environment &, by a culturally determined process of perception similar to that which converts sounds into phonemes & meanings into words, arrive at appropriate behavioral strategies. These are, in turn, translated into verbal symbols.' The detailed investigations of this process recently begun by a group of sociol'ts are pointed out as indicating that persons behave in accordance with rules of soc interaction which, like the rules of grammar, function below the level of consciousness. If this is the case, then linguistic & soc categories are phenomena of the same order. M. Maxfield.