Language Quotes

“To me, music is entertainment—what else can it be? In fact, it's the only language I know of that's universal.”

“The true alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words.”

“The notion of a 'mixed' language is a fiction.”

“A programming language is a medium of expression.”

“There is no way to get from syntax to semantics.”

“The internet has given us a new kind of language, a new way of being.”

“Spelling is only a means of representing sound, and is only good as far as it is a faithful representative.”

“There are no single-style speakers.”

“People do not just passively describe the world; they actively construct versions of it.”

“There is no neutral, objective description; all descriptions are constructions.”

“I was recently on a tour of Latin America, and the only regret I have was that I didn't study Latin harder in school so I could converse with those people.”

“Tell them to stop using profane language.”

“Language is the repository of our collective memories, our dreams, our aspirations, and our identity.”

“In fact, words are well adapted for description and the arousing of emotion, but for many kinds of precise thought other symbols are much better.”

“But don't you see that the whole trouble lies here? In words, words.”

“The language we use about our bodies matters.”

“Dialects, which are the sole true sources of historical information about language, die daily.”

“The theory of Logic is thus intimately connected with that of Language.”

“The arbitrary nature of the sign explains in turn why the social fact alone can create a linguistic system.”

“Euphemisms are unpleasant truths wearing diplomatic cologne.”