The language of the Tohono O'odham (formerly known as Papago) and Pima Indians is an important subfamily of Uto-Aztecan spoken by some 14,000 people in southern Arizona and northern Sonora. This dictionary is a useful tool for native speakers, linguists, and any outsiders working among those peoples. The second edition has been expanded to more than 5,000 entries and enhanced by a more accessible format. It includes full definitions of all lexical items; taxonomic classification of plants and animals; restrictive labels; a pronunciation guide; an etymology of loan words; and examples of usage for affixes, idioms, combining forms, and other items peculiar to the Tohona O'odham-Pima language. Appendixes contain information on phonology, kinship and cultural terms, the numbering system, time, and the calendar. Maps and charts define the locations of place names, reservations, and the complete language family.

Dean and Lucille Saxton began working with Tohono O'odham authors and translators in 1953. Dean and Lucille Saxton began working with Tohono O'odham authors and translators in 1953. Susie Enos was a native Tohono O'odham speaker and an early writer of her language.

Reviews of the first edition:

"Linguists and anthropologists will value this splendidly organized summarization."—Library Journal 

"Dictionaries of American Indian languages are relatively rare. Practical dictionaries which serve laymen and which are simultaneously of use to professional linguists are fewer. This dictionary falls into the latter category and is one of the most successful of its kind."—Choice