Book excerpt: Ottenheimer's authoritative yet approachable introduction to the field's methodology, skills, techniques, tools, and applications emphasizes the kinds of questions that anthropologists ask about language and the kinds of questions that intrigue students. The text brings together the key areas of linguistic anthropology, addressing issues of power, race, gender, and class throughout. Further stressing the everyday relevance of the text material, Ottenheimer includes In the Field vignettes that draw you in to the chapter material via stories culled from her own and others' experiences, as well as Doing Linguistic Anthropology and Cross- Language Miscommunication features that describe real-life applications of text concepts.