--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of all the mediums that influence…" description: "\"Of all the mediums that influence language, I think film is the one that has the most effect. Not so much from the point of view of pronunciation and g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/david-crystal-8647_cinema_of-all-the-mediums-that-influence-langua_941487.png" --- # Of all the mediums that influence language, I think film… ![“Of all the mediums that influence language, I think film is the one that has the most effect. Not so much from the point of view of pronunciation and grammar. I don't think we pick up very many sounds and grammatical instructions from the films we see - but the catchphrases.” quote by David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/david-crystal-8647_cinema_of-all-the-mediums-that-influence-langua_941487.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/david-crystal-8647_cinema_of-all-the-mediums-that-influence-langua_941487.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/david-crystal-8647_cinema_of-all-the-mediums-that-influence-langua_941487.png) > “Of all the mediums that influence language, I think film is the one that has the most effect. Not so much from the point of view of pronunciation and grammar. I don't think we pick up very many sounds and grammatical instructions from the films we see - but the catchphrases.” [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Film shapes language primarily through memorable lines, not grammar or pronunciation. **In simple terms:** Films influence language via catchphrases. Key Takeaway Notice and use impactful film quotes. Themes media language culture Mood informative analytical Type observational educational When to use this quote - advertising slogans - social media memes - teaching idioms Key Concepts sociolinguistics media studies Questions to Reflect On - Which film lines have changed your speech? - How do catchphrases spread across generations? A Different Perspective Catchphrases can be fleeting and context‑dependent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Film Effect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film-effect-1612909/) [Films Catchphrases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/films-catchphrases-1612910/) [Grammar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grammar/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Influence Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence-language-1612907/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Language Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language-think-749530/) [Mediums Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediums-influence-1612908/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [View](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/view/) ## Related quotes > [“Living in Supreme Influence, your language is neutral and/or moving toward your vision rather than moving away. In other words, you speak about what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niurka/living-in-supreme-influence-your-language-is-neutral-and-or-moving/) [Niurka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niurka/) > [I don't think a film that has no effect on people or society is a good film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takashi-miike/i-don-t-think-a-film-that-has-no-effect-on-people-or-society-is-a/) [Takashi Miike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takashi-miike/) > [I've really tried to use the power of film to effect change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-shuler-donner/i-ve-really-tried-to-use-the-power-of-film-to-effect-change/) [Lauren Shuler Donner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-shuler-donner/) > [Words are our life. We are human because we use language. So I think we are less human when we use less language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-shields/words-are-our-life-we-are-human-because-we-use-language-so-i-think-we/) [Carol Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-shields/) > [“Don’t try to defile the English language. I can think of a few other things I’d rather dirty up.  ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-l-jennings/don-t-try-to-defile-the-english-language-i-can-think-of-a-few-other/) [S.L. Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-l-jennings/) > [Language is always ambivalent. Its forms mutate and connect in unexpected ways. It's hard to instrumentalize language. But I think it's better to explore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mckenzie-wark/language-is-always-ambivalent-its-forms-mutate-and-connect-in/) [McKenzie Wark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mckenzie-wark/) > [“Because we tend to equate intelligence with language--particularly the ability to use language to think and communicate abstractions--it is natural to conclude that animals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bender/because-we-tend-to-equate-intelligence-with-language-particularly-the/) [Linda Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bender/) > [“Don't try to defile the English language. I can think of a few things I'd rather dirty up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-l-jennings/don-t-try-to-defile-the-english-language-i-can-think-of-a-few-things/) [S.L. Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-l-jennings/) > [I try to pay attention to language. I think that as a general rule, we as writers talk too much and we should listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/i-try-to-pay-attention-to-language-i-think-that-as-a-general-rule-we/) [Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/) > [Language' is, I think, my favorite song that I've ever written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porter-robinson/language-is-i-think-my-favorite-song-that-i-ve-ever-written/) [Porter Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porter-robinson/) > [“There is a reciprocal influence between thought and language. What we think molds the words we use, and the words we use react upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grenville-kleiser/there-is-a-reciprocal-influence-between-thought-and-language-what-we/) [Grenville Kleiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grenville-kleiser/) > [China's cinema has been rising for some time; it has more exposure, so my chances of becoming internationally known are better. But the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/china-s-cinema-has-been-rising-for-some-time-it-has-more-exposure-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I was a young person I went to the university and I learned a rational language, to think with the left side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/when-i-was-a-young-person-i-went-to-the-university-and-i-learned-a/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [You and I who read and write books have very little effect upon language. We may think about it, write about it, and read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlton-laird/you-and-i-who-read-and-write-books-have-very-little-effect-upon/) [Charlton Laird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlton-laird/) > [Language, I think, has nothing to do with film-making. It is how you make your point and whether you exploit the visual medium maintaining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/language-i-think-has-nothing-to-do-with-film-making-it-is-how-you/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) ## More by David Crystal > [I don't have any particular desire to see words making a comeback. They are of their era, after all, and that is their identity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/i-don-t-have-any-particular-desire-to-see-words-making-a-comeback/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [In effect we are, bending and breaking the rules of the language. And if someone were to ask why we do it, the answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/in-effect-we-are-bending-and-breaking-the-rules-of-the-language-and/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [There's an old little jingle: 'The chief use of slang is to show that you're one of the gang.' What that means is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/there-s-an-old-little-jingle-the-chief-use-of-slang-is-to-show-that/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [The death of a language. The word has the same kind of reluctant resonance as it has when we talk about the death of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/the-death-of-a-language-the-word-has-the-same-kind-of-reluctant/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [One of the places the full stop is really being revised in a really fundamental way is on the Internet. You look at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/one-of-the-places-the-full-stop-is-really-being-revised-in-a-really/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [Language itself changes slowly but the internet has speeded up the process of those changes so you notice them more quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/language-itself-changes-slowly-but-the-internet-has-speeded-up-the/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [We are rearing a generation of kids who are more equitable and more understanding about the existence of language variety and why it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/we-are-rearing-a-generation-of-kids-who-are-more-equitable-and-more/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [Sending a message on a mobile phone is not the most natural of ways to communicate. The keypad isn't linguistically sensible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/sending-a-message-on-a-mobile-phone-is-not-the-most-natural-of-ways/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [It took three years to put Shakespeare's words together, there were a lot of words to be studied and a lot of words to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/it-took-three-years-to-put-shakespeare-s-words-together-there-were-a/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [Likewise, there is no evidence that texting teaches people to spell badly: rather, research shows that those kids who text frequently are more likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/likewise-there-is-no-evidence-that-texting-teaches-people-to-spell/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [“Here are three elements we often see in town names: If a town ends in “-by”, it was originally a farmstead or a small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/here-are-three-elements-we-often-see-in-town-names-if-a-town-ends-in/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [There's nothing unusual about a single language dying. But what's going on today is extraordinary when we compare the situation to what has happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/there-s-nothing-unusual-about-a-single-language-dying-but-what-s/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [Enshrined in a language is the whole of a community's history and a large part of its cultural identity. The world is a mosaic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/enshrined-in-a-language-is-the-whole-of-a-community-s-history-and-a/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [You don't usually get a compound word where the first part is a slang thing and the second part is a rather ordinary or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/you-don-t-usually-get-a-compound-word-where-the-first-part-is-a-slang/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [Swearing makes an excellent relief mechanism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/swearing-makes-an-excellent-relief-mechanism/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) [Explore all 79 David Crystal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) ## More Cinema quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) [Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/) > [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/) [Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/) [Browse all 23,940 Cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Of all the mediums that influence language, I think film is the one that has the most effect. Not so much from the point of view of pronunciation and grammar. 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