In place of science, the Eskimo has only magic to bridge the gap between what he can understand and what is not known. Without magic, his life would be one long panic. — Peter Farb Copy Share Image
Despite the theories traditionally taught in high-school social studies, the truth is: the more primitive the society, the more leisured its way of life. — Peter Farb Copy Share Image
Men in all societies possess the biological equipment to remove their hats or shoes, but it is the birth within a particular culture that… — Peter Farb Copy Share Image
A complex society is not necessarily more advanced than a simple one; it has just adapted to conditions in a more complicated way. — Peter Farb Copy Share Image
Speakers who have grown up in the American community unconsciously know its rules about taking turns in conversations-in the same way that they know… — Peter Farb Copy Share Image
An invention or new combination can be successful only if all if the elements necessary for the recombination are present in the culture. — Peter Farb Copy Share Image
Gestures and facial expressions do indeed communicate, as anyone can prove by turning off the sound on a television set and asking watchers to… — Peter Farb Copy Share Image
Letters to the editors of English and American newspapers often contain expressions of horror about the new terms that creep into the language, and… — Peter Farb Copy Share Image
No child is capable of speech until he has heard other human beings speak, and even two infants reared together cannot develop a language… — Peter Farb Copy Share Image
Marriage is simply an economic necessity, and so there are no elaborate courtship displays or marriage celebrations among the Eskimo. — Peter Farb Copy Share Image
Language does not stand still. Surprisingly, despite this knowledge, most speakers are fearful of change. — Peter Farb Copy Share Image
Native speakers of a language know intuitively whether a sentence is grammatical or not. They usually cannot specify exactly what is wrong, and very… — Peter Farb Copy Share Image
The dictionary is a closed system in which someone interested in the meaning of a word can go around and around and end up… — Peter Farb Copy Share Image
