Quotes About Language

Ausdruck ist Wahn

I will tell you a terrible secret: language is punishment. Language must encompass all things and in it all things must again transpire according to guilt and the degree of guilt.

As it was all was lost. He was alive, yes, he was alive, he felt this for the first time. But he knew now that he was living in a prison, that he had to make the best of it in there and would soon rage and would have to speak this thieves' cant, the only language at his disposal, in order not to be so abandoned.

We have to work hard with the bad language that we have inherited to arrive at that language which has never yet ruled, but which rules our intuition, and which we imitate.

Estar permanentemente en las palabras, quieras o no, estar siempre vivo, lleno de palabras por la vida, como si las palabras estuviesen vivas, como si la vida fuera palabra.

speak across borders even if borders pass through every word.

The children are in love but do not know with what. They talk in gibberish, muse themselves into an indefinable pallor, and when they are completely at a loss they invent a language that maddens them. My fish. My hook. My fox. My snare. My fire. You my water. You my current. My earth. You my if. And you my but. Either. Or. My everything...my everything...They push one another, go for each other with their fists and scuffle over a counter-word that doesn't exist.

I stupidly suggested that we do A Dream Play. There were forty-two parts... It was hell. I thought: 'How can I explain to these forty-two people what Strindberg means by "Poor souls, I feel sorry for us."' It doesn't exist in German.

For example, there are thousands of different linguistic words for water. The meanings all refer to water – and the substance can literally be pointed at in case of linguistic difficulties.

The only real problem is that language researchers cannot yet find the language piano itself, which is apparently installed in the seat of consciousness, again not locatable so far.

This book, by Steven Pinker, is entitled THE BLANK SLATE: THE MODERN DENIAL OF HUMAN NATURE, and which, as the title unambiguously indicates, is a rather thundering broadside fired into the direction of the blank slate establishment. He is Professor of Psychology at MIT, has received many awards for his teaching, and for his earlier books HOW THE MIND WORKS, and THE LANGUAGE INSTINCT.

HISTORICAL TIDBIT: In English, the term INFORM is taken from the Latin IN + FORMA, which meant "to put into [a] form." The term INFORMATION appeared in English at about 1387 at which time it referred to "formation or moulding of the mind or character, training, instruction, or teaching; communication of instructive knowledge." Somewhere

the soul concept is derived not from Latin but from early Old Nordic and Old Germanic sources. However, the terms "animate" and

ALL languages, is still a very young one.

If so, then this definition stands as one of the earliest blueprints, in English, for fundamental reality-box making.

For me, words are a form of action, capable of influencing change.

You say eether and I say eyether,You say neether and I say nyther;Eether, eyether, neether, nyther—Let's call the whole thing off!

Damn it all! What rhymes with rhythm?

If I'm a guy who doesn't seem so merry, It's just because I'm so misunderstood. When I was young I ate a dictionary, And that did not do me a bit of good. For I've absorbed so many words and phrases— They drive me dizzy when I want to speak. I start explaining but each person gazes As if I spoke in Latin or in Greek.

for music alone can abolish differences of language or culture between two people and invoke something indestructible within them.

Mine your words as if digging for diamonds and gold.

Yes, of course, there's something fishy about describing people's feelings. You try hard to be accurate, but as soon as you start to define such and such a feeling, language lets you down. It's really a machine for making falsehoods. When we really speak the truth, words are insufficient. Almost everything except things like "pass the gravy" is a lie of a sort. And that being the case, I shall shut up. Oh, and... pass the gravy.

You can always tell the profession of a girl's last boyfriend, because they talk the language of his occupation.

Music is a language lovers understand Melody and romance wander hand in hand Cupid never fails assisted by a band So if you have something sweet to tell her Say it with music