In the white man's world, language, too -and the way in which the white man thinks of it- has undergone a process of change. The white man takes such things as words and literature for granted, as indeed he must, for nothing in his world is so commonplace. One every side of him there are words by the millions, an unending succession of pamphlets and papers, letters and books, bills and bulletins, commentaries and conversations. He has diluted and multiplied the Word, and words have begun to close in upon him. He is sated and insensitive; his regard for language -for the Word itself- as an instrument of creation has diminished nearly to the point of no return. It may be that he will perish by the Word.
- House Made of Dawn, N. Scott Momaday