Quotes About Language

Though Margaret has a South African accent and my mother retains a vaguely midwestern inflection, flecks of Yiddish float through both of their speech. They are the same size and shape (small, with fluffy silver heads of hair) and they both wear loose shirts and comfortable sandals.

When I was young. When I had no idea that all over the city, all over the world, there were people walking around sealed in their own universes of loss, independent solar systems of suffering closed off from the regular world, where things make sense and language is all you need to tell the truth.

The man credited with inventing the comma, colon, and full stop punctuation marks was a librarian of Alexandria called Aristophanes.

Die gesprochenen Worte sind die Zeichen von Vorstellungen in der Seele und die geschriebenen Worte sind die Zeichen von gesprochenen Worten. So wie nun die Schriftzeichen nicht bei allen Menschen dieselben sind, so sind auch die Worte nicht bei allen Menschen dieselben; aber die Vorstellungen in der Rede, deren unmittelbare Zeichen die Worte sind, sind bei allen Menschen dieselben und eben so sind die Gegenstände überall dieselben, von welchen diese Vorstellungen die Abbilder sind.

The greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor; it is the one thing that cannot be learnt from others; and it is also a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of the similarity in the dissimilar.

the greatest thing by far is to have a command of metaphor. This alone cannot be imparted by another; it is the mark of genius, for to make good metaphors implies an eye for resemblances.

It is a great thing, indeed, to make a proper use of the poetical forms, as also of compounds and strange words. But the greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor. It is the one thing that cannot be learnt from others; and it is also a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of the similarity in dissimilars.

Every word is either current, or strange, or metaphorical, or ornamental, or newly-coined, or lengthened, or contracted, or altered.

A good style must, first of all, be clear.

Think as the wise men think, but talk like the simple people do.

For the iambic is, of all measures, the most colloquial: we see it in the fact that conversational speech runs into iambic lines more frequently than into any other kind of verse; rarely into hexameters, and only when we drop the colloquial intonation.

A vowel is that which without impact of tongue or lip has an audible sound.

Tragedy, then, is a representation of an action that is worth serious attention, complete in itself, and of some amplitude; in language enriched by a variety of artistic devices appropriate to the several parts of the play; presented in the form of action, not narration; by means of pity and fear bringing about the purgation of such emotions.

It is a great thing, indeed, to make a proper use of these poetical forms, as also of compounds and strange words. But the greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor. It is the one thing that cannot be learnt from others; and it is also a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of the similarity in dissimilars.

Het verschil tussen loonarbeid en slavernij is een semantische kwestie

Samuel Beckett já disse: Toda palavra é uma mancha desnecessária no silêncio e no vazio. Por outro lado, ele DISSE isso.

His mind wandered, seeking other examples. People—particularly older ones—still spoke of putting film into a camera, or gas into a car. Even the phrase "cutting a tape" was still sometimes heard in recording studios—though that embraced two generations of obsolete technologies.

Afrikaans is one of the world's best languages in which to curse; even when spoken politely, it can bruise innocent bystanders.

You are rather too fond of talking in riddles,' complained Jeserac.

They did not speak, for the words that were wanted did not exist.

He seems to have declared war on the King's English as well as on the English king.

Some believe what separates men from animals is our ability to reason. Others say it's language or romantic love, or opposable thumbs. Living here in this lost world, I've come to believe it is more than our biology. What truly makes us human is our unending search, our abiding desire for immortality.

A fine thought in fine language is a most precious jewel, and should not be hid away, but be exposed for use and ornament.

Though unmusical, German is the most expressive of all languages