Vendryes, J. Language. A Linguistic Introduction to History (Yazyk. Lingvisticheskoe vvedenie v istoriyu), 1937. In Russian

Вандриес Ж. Язык. Лингвистическое введение в историю. / Пер. с франц. П. С. Кузнецова; под ред. и с предисл. Р. О. Шор.
Москва : Государственное социально-экономическое издательство (Соцэкгиз), 1937.
410 с. Твёрдый издательский переплёт, обычный формат.
***
Vendryes, J. Language. A Linguistic Introduction to History (Yazyk. Lingvisticheskoe vvedenie v istoriyu). / Translated from French by P. S. Kuznetsov; edited with a foreword by R. O. Shore.
Moscow : State Social-Economic Publishing House (Sotsekgiz), 1937.
410 pp. Publisher's hardcover, standard format.

This 1937 edition is the first Russian translation of the seminal work Le Langage (1921) by Joseph Vendryes (1875–1960), a leading figure of the French sociological school of linguistics. Published by Sotsekgiz during a transformative era for Soviet scholarship, the book represents a brilliant synthesis of the structuralism of Ferdinand de Saussure and the historical-comparative methods of Antoine Meillet. Vendryes views language not merely as a biological or psychological phenomenon, but as a social fact—a vital instrument of human history and collective identity.
The work is structured as a comprehensive introduction to the life of language. Vendryes moves beyond traditional grammar to explore the fluidity of emotional speech, the psychological origins of onomatopoeia, and the profound, shifting relationship between language and thought. He argues that language is a "social institution" that both shapes and is shaped by the historical development of the human race. This Russian edition is particularly significant for the inclusion of a foreword by the prominent Soviet linguist Rosalia Shore, which contextualizes Vendryes' ideas within the Marxist linguistic debates of the 1930s.
A large section of the book is dedicated to "External Linguistics," where Vendryes examines the formation of dialects, the evolution of writing systems, and the complex criteria for the classification of languages. He explores how political boundaries, migrations, and social hierarchies influence linguistic change. His analysis of "special languages" (slang, professional jargon, and religious registers) remains a foundational text for modern sociolinguistics.
Produced with the high editorial standards of the 1930s Soviet academic press, this 410-page volume is a cornerstone for any library of linguistic theory. It captures the moment when Western European structuralist ideas were first being fully integrated into the broader discourse of the history of civilization. For linguists, philosophers, and historians of science, this 1937 printing is an essential record of the intellectual foundations of modern language study.