Genius of Language: Observations for Teachers (Foundations of Waldorf Education)

During the first year of the first Waldorf school, Rudolf Steiner agreed to give a science course to the teachers, which was to be on the nature of light. At the last minute, he was asked to give an additional course on language, which he improvised. "The Genius of Language" is the result. Steiner demonstrates how history and psychology together form the different languages and how ideas, images, and vocabulary travel through time within various cultural streams. He describes how the power to form language has declined, but that we can still recover the seed of language, the penetration of sound by meaning. He also explains how consonants imitate outer phenomena, whereas vowels convey a more inner sense of events; he talks about the differentiation of language as it is influenced by geography; he speaks of the "folk soul" element and the possibility of "wordless thinking"; we hear about the capacity of language to transform us and of its importance to our spiritual lives. This is not just a course on language for those who love words but demonstrates ways to teach children. This little book will prove tremendously valuable to both educators and parents-in fact, to anyone who wants a deeper understanding of language and its significance for our lives.

Rudolf Steiner (b. Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner, 1861-1925) was born in the small village of Kraljevec, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), where he grew up. As a young man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin, where he became a well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar, known especially for his work with Goethe's scientific writings. Steiner termed his spiritual philosophy anthroposophy, meaning "wisdom of the human being." As an exceptionally developed seer, he based his work on direct knowledge and perception of spiritual dimensions. He initiated a modern, universal "spiritual science" that is accessible to anyone willing to exercise clear and unbiased thinking. From his spiritual investigations, Steiner provided suggestions for the renewal of numerous activities, including education (general and for special needs), agriculture, medicine, economics, architecture, science, philosophy, Christianity, and the arts. There are currently thousands of schools, clinics, farms, and initiatives in other fields that involve practical work based on the principles Steiner developed. His many published works feature his research into the spiritual nature of human beings, the evolution of the world and humanity, and methods for personal development. He wrote some thirty books and delivered more than six thousand lectures throughout much of Europe. In 1924, Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches around the world.

Ruth Pusch, born Ruth Barnett, was raised in New Haven, Connecticut. After a period of time spent in Dornach, Switzerland, as a student of spiritual science, she married the actor Hans Pusch in 1932 while in the U.S. Together, they returned to Dornach, where Ruth studied eurythmy with some of the pioneers of that new art form. She later taught eurythmy in New York City and was an early teacher at the Waldorf School New York City. She and her husband were also active in bringing the anthroposophic impulse to the dramatic arts in North America. Along with Hans, Ruth Pusch also helped translate Rudolf Steiner's four mystery plays.

Ádám Makkai (1935-2020) was born in Budapest and spoke Hungarian, German, and English by the age of eight. After the fall of the Revolution of 1956, he escaped to Austria. He arrived in the United States in 1957 to rejoin his father, János, after ten years. Makkai became the first refugee to be admitted by Harvard with a full scholarship. He taught French, Latin, German and introduced Russian at Iolani Preparatory School in Honolulu, Hawaii. He won a Ford Foundation Grant in general linguistics at Yale University where he got his MA in 1962 and his PhD in 1965. After a year in California he became Assistant Professor of Linguistics at the University of Illinois in Chicago where he remained until his retirement as full professor in 2004. In 2011 he was awarded Hungary's top artistic award for his original poetry and his anthologies, the Kossuth Prize. On January 18, 2020, Ádám Makkai passed away in Budapest.

Gertrude Teutsch (1918-2009) was the author of The Dandelion's Cousin (2004) and On the Way to Christmas (2010). She also translated Rudolf Steiner's Genius of Language. Gertrude lived in San Diego, where she passed away at the age of 91.