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Quotations about Languages

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Using Quotations in a Speech or Text about Languages

As well as keeping your audience engaged, adding quotations to a speech or a text can significantly enhance its impact and effectiveness. Quotations are useful for explaining complex ideas concisely, much in the same way that analogies are used. Additionally, quotations from experts or celebrities can add credibility to your message.

Here are some funny and poignant quotations about languages. If your speech is serious, do not automatically avoid funny quotations as they can often be the most impactful, forcing your audience into the thinking about the hidden analogous message in your selected quotation.

  • "Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious." (British actor Peter Ustinov)
  • "When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a hidden truth." (Irish dramatist George Bernard Shaw)
If you are looking to make a fuller speech about languages, then below this selection of quotations are three funny themes and three serious themes on the topic of languages that might help trigger some ideas for your speech or text.
quotations about languages

"The Norwegian language has been described as German spoken underwater." Anon

An Artificial Intelligence (AI) image of Anonymous in the style of Pablo Picasso

"A different language is a different vision of life." Federico Fellini (Italian filmmaker, 1920-1993)

"I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and *German*English*gibberish* to my horse." Charles V (King of Spain, 1500-1558)

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart." Nelson Mandela (South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, 1918-2013)

French is the language that turns dirt into *romance.*gold.*wine.* Stephen King (American author, 1947-)

"The French language has a genius for making the trivial sound magnificent." Anatole France (French poet, 1844-1924)

"The French language is a conspiracy to make you think you're smarter than you actually are." Anon

"French is a language that makes those who speak it both calm and dynamic at the same time." Bernard Pivot (French journalist, 1935-)

The French language is a tool to say *more with less.*I love you.*where's the cheese.* Mathieu Amalric (French actor and filmmaker, 1965-)

"The *German*French*Russian* language is like a tormented violin – it cries out in pain and it makes you want to cry, too." Jonathan Ames (American author, 1964-)

"German sounds like someone is constantly yelling at you, but you're not sure if they're angry or just talking." Anon

"The German language is so hard, it gives me a headache just trying to remember one word." Ellen DeGeneres (American comedian and actress, 1958-)

"I took a year of Latin in high school and it really paid off. The only problem is, I can only speak to ghosts now." James Corden (English actor, 1978-)

"You know the trouble with the French, they don't even have a word for entrepreneur." George W. Bush (American Republican statesman, 1946-)

"Speak in French when you can't think of the English for a thing." Lewis Carroll (English writer and logician, 1832-98)

"There even are places where English completely disappears. In America, they haven't used it for years!" Alan Jay Lerner (American songwriter, 1918-86)

I can speak Esperanto *like a native.*fluently.*and Spanish.* Spike Milligan (Irish comedian, 1918-2002)

"Waiting for the German verb is surely the ultimate thrill." Flann O'Brien (Irish novelist and journalist, 1911-66)

"They spell it Vinci and pronounce it Vinchy; foreigners always spell better than they pronounce." Mark Twain (American writer, 1835-1910)

"I once heard a Californian student in Heidelberg say, in one of his calmest moods, that he would rather decline two drinks than one German adjective." Mark Twain (American writer, 1835-1910)

Thinking Template for a Speech or Text on Languages

Below are 3 funny themes and 3 serious themes related to languages. These have been included to help you identify areas to explore.

Funny Themes:

  1. Language Blunders: Hilarious Misunderstandings and Mistakes
    • Share amusing stories of language blunders and misunderstandings, highlighting the funny side of learning and using different languages.
  2. Quirky Idioms: The Funniest Sayings from Around the World
    • Highlight some of the quirkiest and funniest idioms from different languages, showcasing the unique and humorous ways different cultures express themselves.
  3. Language Mix-Ups: Laugh-Out-Loud Bilingual Confusions
    • Explore humorous anecdotes about bilingual or multilingual individuals mixing up languages, emphasizing the comical situations that can arise from language confusion.

Serious Themes:

  1. The Importance of Language: Connecting People and Cultures
    • Discuss the significance of language in connecting people and cultures, highlighting how language enables communication, understanding, and cultural exchange.
  2. Language Learning: Benefits and Strategies for Success
    • Address the benefits of learning new languages, such as cognitive enhancement and career opportunities, and provide strategies for effective language learning.
  3. Preserving Endangered Languages: The Role of Language in Cultural Identity
    • Explore the importance of preserving endangered languages, discussing how language is integral to cultural identity and the efforts being made to save these languages from extinction.

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