Table of Contents

Acknowledgments VI Preface Vil I. Lo the shaman 1 2. The nonverbal womb IO 3. Signs and symbols I7 4. Above the word 25 5. Appointment in Babylon 38 6. Stigma, status, and standard 44 7. We reduced the size because we didn't want to increase the price 58 8. Guns don't kill people, people kill people 68 9. A case in point: sexism 89 IO. Power and deception 105 I I. Another case in point: the jargonauts and the not-so-golden fleece 125 12. Rival metaphors and the confection of reality I38 I3. A last case in point: bluenoses and coffin nails 156 14. School for shamans 166 I 5. An ecology of language I82 Notes to chapters 189 Further reading 202 Index