“One who has only an oral tradition thinks of language in this way; my words exist at the level of my voice. If I do not speak with care, my words are wasted. If I do not listen with care, words are lost. If I do not remember carefully, the very purpose of words is frustrated. This respect for words suggests an inherent morality in man’s understanding and use of language.”

N. Scott Momaday, Kiowa Native American author

From Spoken Here by Mark Abley, published by Random House Canada, 2003