In My TBR Stack:

Wordplay: How Words Captivate, Illuminate, Intimidate, Inform, & Imbue Us with Intelligence
by Glenn Bassett
Trade Paperback

From the author's website:

WordPlay lays out the functions of language as the foundation of what is loosely called mind. Studies of language in primitive cultures by anthropological linguists demonstrate the existence in every cultural setting of a basic set of word constructs called semantic primes. Language is extended and elaborated on the foundation of semantic primes to construct a mental map of the perceived phenomenal world. Once in place, a rich culture of language is passed on from each generation to the next by example. Words ultimately become so ubiquitous and necessary that they take on a reality all their own. Mental maps can become more real than the reality of direct experience.

Establishment of a critical capacity for knowing truth demands a study of psycholinguistics. The fund of social psychological research that has emerged over the past century offers a window on the way words are used to enrich culture. WordPlay is a compilation of the most salient research that pertains to language use. It is a layman's introduction to psycholinguistics. The emphasis is on how words shape behavior and become the substance of the mind. This is knowledge of those habits of mind that can interfere with or improve straight, clear thinking. It is antidote to functional social ignorance of our rich language culture.