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Language is an archaeological vehicle... the language we speak is a whole palimpsest of human effort and history.

Language is an intrinsic part of who we are and what has, for good or evil, happened to us.

Languages are something of a mess. They evolve over centuries through an unplanned, democratic process that leaves them teeming with irregularities, quirks, and words like 'knight.'

Language is a weapon of politicians, but language is a weapon in much of human affairs.

History does not merely touch on language, but takes place in it.

Language should find itself in the physical world, and not end up locked in an idea in somebody's head.

It might be inevitable that we have to confront the idea that our destiny is to be one world with one language.

Language is remarkable, except under the extreme constraints of mathematics and logic, it never can talk only about what it's supposed to talk about but is always spreading around.

As a matter of fact, a national language which spreads beyond its own confines very quickly loses much of its original richness of content and is in no better case than a constructed language.

The very special place that a language occupies among institutions is undeniable, but there is much more to be said-, a comparison would tend rather to bring out the differences.