Quotes about the English language | EF Global Site (English) (2024)

Americans who travel abroad for the first time are often shocked to discover that despite all the progress that has been made in the past 30 years, many foreign people still speak in foreign languages.Dave BarryAre you one of those people who uses words more for the sound than for the sense of them?Dean KoontzEngland and America are two countries separated by the same language.George Bernard ShawEnglish is flexible: you can jam it into a Cuisinart for an hour, remove it, and meaning will still emerge.Douglas CouplandEnglish is the language of a people who have probably earned their reputation for perfidy and hypocrisy because their language itself is so flexible, so often light-headed with statements which appear to mean one thing one year and quite a different thing the next.Paul ScottI came here and realized how truly limited my English was and it was very scary. I soon realized it wasn't going to be hard to learn - it was going to be nearly impossible.Salma HayekI know grammar by ear only, not by note, not by the rules.Mark TwainI know your head aches. I know you're tired. I know your nerves are as raw as meat in a butcher's window. But think what you're trying to accomplish - just think what you're dealing with. The majesty and grandeur of the English language; it's the greatest possession we have.George Bernard ShawI learned English by going to America and marrying an Englishman who didn't speak French. That helped.Catherine DeneuveI was trying to learn English and I was very worried about my accent. I'm sure I'll always have it but I remember Tom Hanks said to me, "Don't lose the accent. If you do, you're lost."Antonio BanderasLanguage is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.Rita Mae BrownMy spelling is wobbly. It is good spelling, but it wobbles and the letters get in the wrong places.A. A. MilneOh, God, I don't know what's more difficult, life or the English language.Johnathan AmesSome of the subtance of English words I just don't understand at all because the culture is so strange to me.Yun-Fat ChowSpeaking English is like a tongue-twister for me. I can speak each word perfectly, but then you have to string them together, like "Blah, blah, blah." That's when I get crazy.Jackie ChanSummer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.Henry JamesThe barrier of language is sometimes a blessed barrier, which only lets pass what is good. Or, to put the thing less cynically, we may be better in new clean words, which have never been tainted by our pettiness or vice.E. M. ForsterThe English language is like London: proudly barbaric yet deeply civilised, too, common yet royal, vulgar yet processional, sacred yet profane.Stephen FryThere is no such thing as the Queen’s English. The property has gone into the hands of a joint stock company and we own the bulk of the shares!Mark TwainThey had nothing in common but the English language.E. M. ForsterTo me it is very important to understand the nature of English and how it works.ShakiraTo understand English is one thing; to understand an Englishman who talks is another.Aleister CrowleyWhat does it matter if you can speak two or more languages if you have nothing original to say in any language?Jarod KintzWhen I first came to America I made a lot of mistakes, like going to the hair salon and asking for a blow j*b instead of a blow dry.Penelope CruzWith hard work, learning English, and getting involved, there is no limit on what you can achieve.Arnold SchwarzeneggerWriting in English is like throwing mud at a wall.Joseph Conrad