The dictionary is a closed system in which someone interested in the meaning of a word can go around and around and end up exactly where he started, simply because words are defined in terms of other words, and these,… — 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Marriage is simply an economic necessity, and so there are no elaborate courtship displays or marriage celebrations among the Eskimo. — Peter Farb Copy Share
Language does not stand still. Surprisingly, despite this knowledge, most speakers are fearful of change. — Peter Farb Copy Share
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
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
At every moment of his life the Shoshone must be careful to observe the complicated folkways of his group, to do reverence to superhuman… — Peter Farb Copy Share
Food to a large extent is what holds a society together, and eating is closely linked to deep spiritual experiences. — Peter Farb Copy Share
An inability to communicate has little to do with international friction-as is seen in the special ferocity of wars fought between people who speak… — Peter Farb Copy Share
