Whether you like it or not, quotes are present in our daily lives. But quotes are used not only to add color to our speech. They can also help overcome foreign language anxiety and debunk myths that only the gifted can learn a language.
Inspirational Quotes
These inspiring gems will keep you motivated and maybe even motivate you to become the next amazing polyglot. So whenever you need a morale boost, look to these 10 quotes!
Quotes about language learning are motivational. The best quotes serve as useful reminders of why you wanted to learn a language in the first place. And a little extra motivation never hurt anyone—motivation to learn a language will keep you moving toward fluency.
Finally, quotes about language learning will help you look at language from a different perspective. When you're in a phase, it can be difficult to see the bigger picture. With all the vocabulary and grammar rules in place, you can focus on the details. Language quotes can help redirect your attention to why learning a language is so valuable.
Those who know nothing about foreign languages know nothing about their own.
Good old Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. He lived in Germany from 1749 to 1832 and was a very versatile man, including a statesman, poet and writer, and he also studied natural sciences.
Growing up, Goethe studied several languages, including English, French, Italian, Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Therefore, it is not surprising that he made such a statement, with which every student most likely agrees. Once you start learning another language, you learn a lot more about your own.
The limits of my tongue mean the limits of my world
Ludwig Wittgenstein was an Austrian-British philosopher who lived from 1889 to 1951. His work was in the areas of logic, mathematics and languages.
Wittgenstein connected the limits of language with the limits of philosophical thought. This is exactly what he emphasized with his quote. After all, it's hard to think about things that you don't have words to describe. Those who learn a language have the opportunity to find words in a second language to describe things that they could never describe in their native language, thereby expanding the boundaries of their world.
If we spoke a different language, we would perceive a slightly different world
Wittgenstein had many great quotes about languages, so it seems fair that he made our list twice. This quote points out the connection between language and perception. Because perception is filtered through the words we know, the language we speak can actually shape what we perceive.
For example, if the language you speak has a dozen different words for shades of blue, then you are more likely to notice differences in color than if your language only has one word for blue. So by learning more languages, you broaden your perception.
Victory in learning is achieved through knowledge of languages
Roger Bacon, a monk and philosopher who lived in England in the 13th century, wrote this gem about languages. It is important to note that in that era the population was predominantly illiterate. Bacon, however, was fluent in several languages and was especially interested in accurately translating old texts. While much has changed since the 13th century, this quote remains relevant today. The more languages you know, the better you can learn overall.
Knowing a second language is like having a second soul
Charlemagne was a European king in the 700s and 800s. He is known for promoting literacy in an era when it was not popular. He himself continued to study, read and write even in old age.
Charlemagne probably spoke Franconian, in addition to Latin and Greek. He encouraged translations of Christian texts, and his royal library contained books on languages. Charlemagne's quote will certainly make anyone thinking about languages think - how does a person change when he begins to speak a second language?
If you talk to a person in a language they understand, it goes to their head. If you speak to him in his language, it will go to his heart.
Nelson Mandela is perhaps one of the most famous figures of the twentieth century. The anti-apartheid activist, philanthropist, President of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize winner was brilliant at bringing people together.
This quote illustrates the role of language in bringing people together. Communicating with people in their native language is undoubtedly a valuable means of forming deeper and more meaningful connections. Isn't this a reason to learn a language?!
A man who does not know other languages, unless he is a genius, is bound to have a deficiency of ideas.
Victor Hugo is one of the most famous French writers in history. He wrote such classics as Les Misérables and The Man Who Laughs, but this simple but accurate quote about language is no less powerful. It explains how knowing only one language can limit your thoughts.
Language shapes the way we think and determines what we can think about.
Benjamin Lee Whorf was a 20th century American linguist. Throughout his life he studied a wide range of languages, including Biblical Hebrew, Nahuatl, Hopi, Piman and Tepecano. He also worked to develop the "linguistic relativity" hypothesis, which focuses on how language can influence worldview.
The overall meaning of this quote is very similar to the meaning of Victor Hugo's quote: language profoundly influences both how we think and what we think about. Knowing more languages can allow us to think more.
Language is a city, into the construction of which each person contributed his own stone.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American Transcendentalist who lived in the 1800s. He wrote mainly about self-sufficiency and individualism. It is therefore not surprising that this quote focuses on the role of humans in the development of language.
Essentially, this quote says that every person contributes to the development of language. It's good for language learners to know that they also help shape it.
It's amazing how much fun you can get from a language you don't understand well.
Besides having an amazing name, Gilderslev was an American classical scholar who lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His major was Greek, but any student can appreciate this quote.
Any language learner can often feel that anything short of full fluency is a failure. Gildersleeve's quote is an important reminder that you don't have to be fluent in a language to truly enjoy it.
Conclusion
With these 10 inspirational quotes, you'll always have extra motivation to help you make significant progress in your language learning.
The organizers chose the venue for this event not by chance, since this educational organization, which in 2015 was included in the top educational organizations in Russia with a philological profile, together with other educational organizations in the Northern District, offers a wide range of language training for young Muscovites, which constitutes the concept of versatility in school philological education. The range of international cooperation, excellent social partners at the city and all-Russian levels, human resources, high motivation of student groups, interest of the parent community - all this makes the district’s language schools leading centers for teaching Russian and European languages.
“Linguistic Kaleidoscope” took place under the motto: “He who does not know foreign languages knows nothing about his own” (I.V. Goethe). During the event, these words were repeatedly supplemented by others, no less bright and expressive: “If you only know one language, you only live once” (proverb); “A man is as many times a man as he knows the languages” (Charles V); “By studying the language of a particular people, we study their historically developed system of concepts through which they perceive reality. By studying this system and consciously comparing it with our own, we better understand the latter” (L. Shcherba). The words of the linguist L. Shcherba are especially indicative; they perfectly set new vectors and incentives for learning foreign languages in the modern geopolitical situation. Firstly, good command of foreign languages helps to truly see the power and greatness of the native Russian language, and secondly, we master foreign languages not in order to serve foreign states, but in order to bring the world knowledge about Russia and its history , culture, traditions and customs. From our point of view, we succeeded in convincing the children of the need for precisely such an understanding of the role and meaning of foreign languages in human life (this is the ultimate goal of the “kaleidoscope”), from our point of view, in a high-quality and professional manner.
The guests of the “Linguistic Kaleidoscope” were people for whom, by the will of fate (or perhaps the dictates of time), languages turned out to be a means that made them known far beyond the borders of Russia. Speech, the word - a powerful weapon, the most effective way of influencing formed the foundation of their professional success. The right to open the “Linguistic Kaleidoscope” was given to Channel One sports commentator Viktor Gusev, who won the love of everyone - both those who love sports and those who are indifferent to it. The people's favorite told the participants of the “Linguistic Kaleidoscope” an amazing story of how knowledge of foreign languages determined the entire life path of a Russian TV presenter, more than once helped out and simply saved the situation. However, during his stay at the special English school No. 19 named after. V.G. Belinsky, and during his studies at the translation department of the Moscow State Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages (specializing in “translator-referent of English and French languages”), teachers devoted a huge place in the educational process to schoolchildren’s and students’ knowledge of the Russian language. It can be said that learning was based on an exceptional command of the native language. Viktor Mikhailovich saw a similar pedagogical approach in the example of teaching his own children (by the way, they all went through experienced teachers at school No. 1251!).
At the end of the opening ceremony, Viktor Gusev, together with other guests and the director of school No. 1251 Tatyana Kravets, cut the red ribbon and launched the work of the tourist office. The children and their parents, having received a route sheet, set off on an amazing journey through countries and languages. The initial stage of the excursion is France. Participants of the “Linguistic Kaleidoscope” were invited to the country of the French language. The language of philosophers and poets, diplomats and lovers. The language of Charles de Gaulle, whose name the school proudly bears. The language of science, a language that opens doors to the world of history, ecology, sociology, economics... Using the example of the French language platform, the bilingual department of the school was presented, which implies the study of subjects in French, where French is the language of professional communication, in particular, students held a discussion of the thesis in French on the topic “Ecological tourism”, which examined the connection between ecology, sociology and economics. Lessons of this kind are conducted regularly at school; they allow you to look at one phenomenon from different points of view, and most importantly, through the prism of two languages.
The next destination for the Linguistic Kaleidoscope participants is Germany. Tempting offers to meet the heroes of the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm on the famous “Fairy Tale Street”, which runs throughout the country, to travel through cities where traditional buildings coexist with the ultra-modern skyscrapers of the financial capital of Europe Frankfurt am Main, to visit the famous harvest festival - all these offers turned out to be reality. Participants in the program learned the history of the national costume, visited an exhibition of books, having the pleasure of meeting their young authors, became spectators at a circus performance, and even tasted purely German delicacies.
If you have not yet decided on the choice of place for your trip, then welcome to the Spanish courtyard! At this site, the guys taught the most musical and passionate of languages through immersion in the culture of the country. The little artists of the Poetry Theater revealed the court secrets of the times of Velazquez, and their senior colleagues from the experimental theater "Huglar" presented the immortal image of Don Quixote, reflected in the works of the great poets of Russia.
The Italian site invited guests to take part in an exciting quiz “Getting to know Italy”. Everyone felt as if from the inside what the country of sun, warmth, and bright colors was like. Italy truly breathes history, filled with the world of music, sculpture, painting and poetry. As N. Gogol said, “whoever has been to Italy will say “forgive” to other lands.” Participants also learned which traditions are still popular in this country today.
At the last stage, the guests were treated to an English language platform, where they briefly learned about the “Country Studies” course. The traditions of the peoples of Great Britain were presented through audio and video, and the knowledge of the travel participants in this area was tested in a playful way.
Whether by chance or not, the main focus of the Linguistic Kaleidoscope was on Romance languages. Today, when we so often talk about diversifying the economy, it is probably important to provide a set of measures to diversify philological education, transferring it to a wide range of language preferences of schoolchildren and students. Our "Linguistic Kaleidoscope" was one of our attempts to show that the world is not limited to the English language, it is much richer and more diverse.
The festival of languages ended in the assembly hall. For children and adults, a good friend of the school, Alexander Levenbuk, held a game “Russian language. Fun grammar." The famous creator of "Baby Monitor", People's Artist of the Russian Federation, artistic director of the Moscow Jewish theater "Shalom" Alexander Semenovich shared his vision of language education in Russia. With great love for children and sparkling humor, the actor held a conversation with a hall full of inspired children and adults. Let me remind you that during the Year of Literature, the project “Baby Monitor” was launched in Moscow. Fun grammar." The initiator of the project was the Commission for the Development of Science and Education of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, the project was supported by the Department of Education, regional public organizations “Unified Independent Association of Teachers”, “Independent Association of Literature Teachers”, and the all-Russian public organization “Association of Teachers of Literature and Russian Language”. The goal of the project is to revive the best domestic traditions of “learning with passion” based on the unique experience of the educational program “Baby Monitor”, familiar to all representatives of the older generation. Alexander Levenbuk emphasized that teaching all languages, including Russian, must be fun and exciting. And here all means are good: games, songs, interludes...
As a farewell, the audience was shown the “European Mosaic” concert program, compiled on the basis of the best examples of the musical and dance culture of the peoples whose languages were included in the “Linguistic Kaleidoscope”.
We are once again convinced that admiration for foreign languages and love for the native Russian language, with the right pedagogical decisions, do not contradict each other, but, on the contrary, become an instrument for educating a harmoniously developed personality, capable of creation and creativity for the benefit of Russia. The educational complexes created in the capital provide the opportunity to bring the most incredible ideas to life, and for philologist teachers to fulfill their main professional mission, aimed at developing a full-fledged linguistic personality of the student.
I am confident that the development of these ideas will be facilitated by the All-Russian Philological Forum “One Language - One People,” which will be held on November 6, 2015 at 10.00 in the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation. The forum aims to attract the professional community, creative intelligentsia, and talented children's and youth groups to a broad discussion of modern methods and techniques of educational activities in:
- achieving a high level of reading literacy;
- developing skills of fluency in written language, all its forms and genres;
- propaganda of the Russian language, Russian literature and the Russian world through translation practice.
Thus, nothing ends with the “Linguistic Kaleidoscope”, but just begins!
Roman DOSCHINSKY, member of the OPRF
1. Life is too short to learn German (Richard Porson)
2. The German language is essentially rich, but in German colloquial speech we use only a tenth of this wealth; thus, in fact, we are poor in words. The French language is essentially poor, but the French know how to use everything it has in the interests of conversation, and therefore they are actually rich in words. (Heinrich Heine)
3. I don’t understand a word of German. I was taught this language at school, but after graduating, two years later I completely forgot everything and since then I have felt much better. (Jerome K. Jerome. Three in a boat, not counting the dog)
4. I can understand the German language, as well as the maniac who invented it, but I would prefer to express this idea through a translator.” (Mark Twain)
5. Some German words are so long that they can be seen in perspective. When you look along a word like this, it tapers towards the end, like the rails of a railroad track.” (Mark Twain)
6. I would abolish excessively long compound words in the German language or require that they be presented in parts - with breaks for breakfast, lunch and dinner. (Mark Twain)
7. If a German writer dives into a phrase, you will not see him until he emerges on the other side of his Atlantic Ocean with a verb in his mouth. (Mark Twain)
8. The verb has a rather difficult life in this world, even if it is completely intact. It is highly inhumane to cut it into pieces. But that's exactly what the Germans do. (Mark Twain)
9. The Germans take one half of the verb and put it as a milepost, take the other and put a second pillar. Between these pillars they pile a pile of words. And how they pile on! Full of shovels! (Mark Twain)
10. Of all the languages that I don’t know, the one I don’t know best is German. (Sylvia Cheese)
Sayings about the English language:
1. English is a simple but very difficult language. It consists of only foreign words, which are also pronounced incorrectly. (Kurt Tucholsky)
2. The English take a dozen monosyllable words into their mouths, chew them, swallow them, and spit them out - and this is called the English language. (Heinrich Heine)
3. Anyone who has memorized the English-Russian dictionary knows the English-Russian language. (Humor)
4. I have no doubt that you will be surprised if the cow suddenly speaks English. But believe me: by the tenth time you would have been annoyed by her far from Oxford pronunciation. Of course, if you understood this... (Stanislav Jerzy Lec)
5. The guides' knowledge of English is just sufficient to render any explanation completely incomprehensible. (Mark Twain)
6. It’s not for nothing that they say that the English language is a completely mutilated French. (Boris Krieger)
7. Even if you master perfect English, who are you going to talk to? (Clarence Darrow)
8. We, the British, now really have everything in common with the Americans, except, of course, the language. (Oscar Wilde)
9. German and Spanish are quite accessible to foreigners, but English is inaccessible even to the British. (George Bernard Shaw)
10. English is Dutch with French embroidery. (James Howell)
Sayings about the French language:
1. French is a woman. And she is so beautiful, proud, modest, brave, touching, sensual, chaste, noble, close, reckless, wise that we love her with all our souls and have never tried to cheat on her. (Anatole France)
2. Yes, I have a homeland: French. (Albert Camus)
3. What is not said clearly is not said in French. (A. Rivarol)
4. The English language is a weapon that shoots lead, its shot is scattered. The French language is a weapon that shoots bullets, and it hits accurately. (Otto von Habsburg)
5. The French language is a noble beggar; she does not suffer from being made richer against her own will. (Marcel Prevost)
6. The French language is a trophy of war. Why do you need a military trophy if it needs to be either thrown away or returned to the owner after the end of hostilities? (Yasin Kateb)
7. The charm and beauty of the French language often lies in the ability to get rid of what is not necessary. (Jules Renard)
8. I passionately love the French language, I believe everything the grammar tells me, and I relish the exceptions and “irregularities” of our language. (Jules Renard)
9. Writing flawlessly in French is effort and fun, which slightly compensates for the boredom felt from writing. (Paul Valery)
10. No matter what you say, your native language will always remain native. When you want to speak to your heart’s content, not a single French word comes to mind, but if you want to shine, then it’s a different matter. (L.N. Tolstoy)
The Center for International Communication Language Plus invites you to courses in German, French and English.
Training is possible in groups and individually.
There are many sayings of great people about. Their words inspire, make you think, make you want to argue, and sometimes just laugh. But they are all extremely interesting.
“A different language is a different vision of life.”
(Federico Fellini)“Knowing many languages means having many keys to one lock.”
(Voltaire)“To speak another language means to have a second soul.”
(Charlemagne)
“Whoever does not know foreign languages does not know anything about his own.”
(Wolfgang Goethe)“Without knowing foreign languages, you will never understand the silence of a foreigner.”
(Stanislav Jerzy Lec)“To learn the customs of any people, try to first learn their language.”
(Pythagoras of Samos)“Only having mastered the original material, that is, our native language, to the possible perfection, will we be able to master a foreign language to the possible perfection, but not before.”
(F. M. Dostoevsky)“Money speaks a language that is understood by all nations.”
(Afra Behn)“England and America are two countries divided by one language.”
(George Bernard Shaw)“You need to know English! Even the stupidest Englishmen know him quite well.”
(Lev Landau)“The difference between languages is so great that the same expression seems rude in one language and sublime in another.”
(John Dryden)“Some words are so long that they can be seen in perspective. When you look along a word like this, it tapers towards the end, like the rails of a railroad track.”
(Mark Twain)“For language learning, free curiosity is much more important than formidable necessity.”
(St. Augustine)“Language cannot be bad or good... After all, language is only a mirror. The same mirror that it’s stupid to blame.”
(Sergey Dovlatov)“People who learn foreign languages with ease most often have a strong character.”
(Ludwig Börne)“Foreign languages are beautiful when you don’t understand them.”
(Kurt Tucholsky)“The study of many languages fills the memory with words instead of facts and thoughts, while it is a receptacle that each person can perceive only a certain, limited mass of content. Further, the study of many languages is harmful in the sense that it arouses the belief in the possession of some special abilities and actually gives a person a certain seductive appearance in communication; it is harmful, moreover, and indirectly - in that it interferes with the acquisition of thorough knowledge and the desire to earn the respect of people in an honest way. Finally, it undermines the more refined linguistic sense of the mother tongue; thanks to this, the latter is irretrievably deteriorated and destroyed.”
(F. Nietzsche)“A man who does not know other languages, unless he is a genius, is bound to have defects in his ideas.”
(Victor Hugo)"The dictionary is based on the hypothesis - apparently unproven - that languages are composed of equivalent synonyms."
(Jorge Luis Borges)“Belladonna: in - a beautiful lady; c - deadly poison. A striking example of the identity inherent in two languages.”
(Ambrose Bierce)“The limits of my language are the limits of my world.”
(Ludwig Wittgenstein)“If you talk to a person in a language that he understands, you are talking to his head. If you speak to him in his native language, you speak to his heart."
(Nelson Mandela)“One language leads you into the corridor of life. Two languages open all doors along this path.”
(Frank Smith)“Knowledge of languages is the door to wisdom.”
(Roger Bacon)“Change your language and you will change your thoughts.”
(Karl Albrecht)“Language is not a genetic gift, it is a social gift. By learning a new language, you become a member of a club - a community of native speakers of that language.”
(Frank Smith)“The whole sum of human wisdom is not contained in just one language.”
(Ezra Pound)“No person should travel until he has learned the language of the country he is visiting. Otherwise, he voluntarily makes himself a big child - so helpless and so ridiculous.”
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)“The more languages you know, the less likely you are to become a terrorist.”
(To Upaman Chatterjee)
Do you want to diversify your language learning process? Then we invite you to get acquainted with beautiful aphorisms in English about education. Let these phrases convince every language learner that you are on the right path. By reading sayings, you can learn new vocabulary and gain insight into the wisdom of famous people.
Why do some people start learning a language and then give up? Some of us expect results that are too quick and easy without work. It is a natural desire to get something with a minimum of effort. However, when starting to learn a language, people discover that they need to learn new vocabulary, complete grammar tasks, read, write, speak - study. Many people, of course, don’t like this, because they want to master the language quickly, preferably without doing anything.
The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.
The roots of the formation are bitter, but the fruits are sweet.
We forget that the only thing in life that comes without effort is failure. And in order for you to master the English language, you need to do the exercises and work hard on all your skills. Yes, the beginning of training will be difficult, “bitter”, but the “sweet” results will delight you. We recommend that you read the article about. In it we talked about both the simplicity and complex nuances of the language of international communications.
Have you chosen your goal of learning English? We think everyone has several reasons to start learning. And we want to motivate you even more with the following aphorism in English.
Our teachers often hear the question: “When can I learn English?” The question is interesting, but somewhat incorrect: it is impossible to learn a language by heart, like a poem at school. Surely even in the Russian language there are words that are not familiar to you, although you are its native speaker. A language can be mastered at a certain level, but it is unlikely to be learned. We examined this issue in detail in the article, where we found out.
You are always a student, never a master. You have to keep moving forward.
You are always a student, never a master. You must keep moving forward.
How do you know if you have made progress in your learning? One of the criteria is the ability to think in English. Accustoming yourself to thinking in a foreign language is not easy, but as a result of working on yourself, you will develop comprehensively, and speaking a foreign language will become a little easier. Typically, students with a below-average level of knowledge mentally translate sentences from Russian into English. We advise you to familiarize yourself with the useful material on the topic presented in the article about. Try to acquire this useful habit of thinking in the language you are learning.
The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think.
The purpose of education should be to teach us HOW to think rather than WHAT to think.
Bill Beatty
The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.
The great goal of education is not knowledge, but action.
The English language knows how to surprise. Even at an average level of proficiency, we sometimes discover that we did not know something simple and now obvious. Even a familiar word can sometimes confuse us - the reason is that English words can have many meanings, often opposite ones. Teacher Victoria wrote in detail about the most common words in her article about polysemantic English words that baffle us. Read it so as not to get into an awkward situation using these seemingly simple but tricky words.