Quotes About Language

the phrase "lion's share" here means "the biggest part" and has nothing to do with lions or sharing-

The quoting of an aphorism, like the angry barking of a dog or the smell of overcooked broccoli rarely indicates that something helpful is about to happen. An aphorism is merely a small group of words arranged in a certain order because they sound good that way, but oftentimes people ten to say them as if they were saying something very mysterious and wise.

The expression "following suit" is a curious one, because it has nothing to do with walking behind a matching set of clothing.

The quoting of an aphorism, like the angry barking of a dog or the smell of overcooked broccoli, rarely indicates that something helpful is about to happen. An aphorism is merely a small group of words arranged in a certain order because they sound good that way, but oftentimes people tend to say them as if they were saying something very mysterious and wise.

Grammar is the greatest joy in life, don't you find?

Impertinent is a word which actually means not suitable to the circumstances, but most people use it to mean I am using a complicated word in hopes that it will make you stop talking....

With any word, there are subconscious associations, which simply means that certain words make you think of certain things, even if you don't want to.

Chuni!" Sunny shrieked, which probably meant "Let's go to the kitchen and get it

Pietrisycamollaviadelrechiotemexity," Sunny said, which you will probably recall means something along the lines of "I must admit I don't have the faintest idea of what is going on." Sunny had now said this particular thing three times over the course of her life, and she was beginning to wonder if this was something she was only going to say more and more as she grew older.

José!" Sunny shrieked, which probably meant something like "No way!

Akroyd!" Sunny cried, a phrase which here means "Roger.

The word "bubble" is in the dictionary, for instance, as is the word "peacock," the word "vacation," and the words "the" "author's" "execution" "has" "been" "canceled," which make up a sentence that is always pleasant to hear.

an Egyptologist will use the word "set" to refer to the ancient god of evil, although he does not come up very often in conversation.

José!" Sunny shrieked, which probably meant something like "No way!

Almost always, shortening a sentence improves it. A nice short sentence feels like something has been left out, which helps give it the element of surprise.

except instead of the word "love" there was an enormous heart, a symbol sometimes used by people who have trouble figuring out the difference between words and shapes.

Goo goo," Sunny said, which meant something along the lines of "I'm going to pretend I'm a helpless baby, instead of answering your question.

Prem!" Sunny said

Ackroid!" Sunny said, which probably meant something like "Roger!

Murder' is the word for a group of crows, like a flock of geese or a herd of cows or a convention of orthodontists.

rather split his trousers than an infinitive.

Parker had acquired the North American habit of making his demands sound like polite inquiries.

Sign language occupies the interstice where space and silence come together; sign language is the locus where the body meets language.

As such, the Deaf do not regard their absence of hearing as a disability, any more than a Spanish-speaking person would regard the inability to speak English as a disability.