Linguistics Discussion 2013 and Beyond discussion

I'm appalled that Native Tongue by Suzette Hadin Elgin isn't on this list yet! It's one of my favorite in the feminist sci-fi genre, set in a dystopia where women have been disenfranchised of their basic civil rights by the theocratic government that has come into power-- blah blah blah. But why bother reading this if you've already read The Handmaid's Tale? Because the whole philosophy behind the book (and its sequel The Judas Rose) is that the language available to you affects your perception and understanding, and thus has the power to either catalyze a revolution or, alternatively, drive you batshit crazy. It's, of course, debatable whether language is really THAT powerful in real life-- but it bears thinking about. I think it's a solid bit of sci-fi in its own right, but I also can't think of any other book that stroked my linguist-nerd sensors quite so pleasurably. Keep an eye out for it in used bookstores, especially, because I feel like I remember that the original edition has a full glossary in the back, whereas later versions ask you to send away (by snail mail-- how quaint!) for the glossary if you're interested.