--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Natural languages generally are not…" description: "\"Natural languages generally are not designed by humans, they're just designed by the participants and you say something new and somebody else says, \"Oh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/larry-wall-1576_humans_natural-languages-generally-are-not-desi_2781600.jpg" --- # Natural languages generally are not designed by humans… ![“Natural languages generally are not designed by humans, they're just designed by the participants and you say something new and somebody else says, "Oh, that's a cool way to say it," and the next thing you know, everyone is saying it because it's shiny.” quote by Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/larry-wall-1576_humans_natural-languages-generally-are-not-desi_2781600.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/larry-wall-1576_humans_natural-languages-generally-are-not-desi_2781600.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/larry-wall-1576_humans_natural-languages-generally-are-not-desi_2781600.jpg) > “Natural languages generally are not designed by humans, they're just designed by the participants and you say something new and somebody else says, "Oh, that's a cool way to say it," and the next thing you know, everyone is saying it because it's shiny.” [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language evolves organically through community use, not top‑down design. **In simple terms:** Languages grow from how people actually use them. Key Takeaway Embrace community feedback. Themes language evolution community innovation Mood analytical enthusiastic Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - software development - online forums - open source projects - tech education Key Concepts emergent design memetics collaboration Questions to Reflect On - How does community influence shape language standards? - What are the risks of unstructured evolution? A Different Perspective May overlook deliberate design goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Designed Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designed-humans-2260295/) [Designed Participants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designed-participants-3313819/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Languages Generally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/languages-generally-3313817/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Natural Languages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-languages-449976/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Participants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/participants/) [Saying Shiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-shiny-3313818/) [Something new](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something-new/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [There's many scripting languages in the world, Perl is a little bit special because it is based more on some ideas from the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/there-s-many-scripting-languages-in-the-world-perl-is-a-little-bit/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [God designed humans to live in community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/god-designed-humans-to-live-in-community/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [At some point in the next century the number of invented languages will probably overtake the number of surviving natural languages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cullen-murphy/at-some-point-in-the-next-century-the-number-of-invented-languages/) [Cullen Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cullen-murphy/) > [“Scientists, famously, use a lot of mathematics, at least in many disciplines (including both cognitive science and economics). Much of this is simply statistics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-ross/scientists-famously-use-a-lot-of-mathematics-at-least-in-many/) [Don Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-ross/) > [From now on I will consider a language to be a set (finite or infinite) of sentences, each finite in length and constructed out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/from-now-on-i-will-consider-a-language-to-be-a-set-finite-or-infinite/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“A procession is a participants' journey, while a parade is a performance with an audience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/a-procession-is-a-participants-journey-while-a-parade-is-a/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Bernard Shaw remains the only model we have of what the citizen of a democracy should be: an informed participant in all things we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/bernard-shaw-remains-the-only-model-we-have-of-what-the-citizen-of-a/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [If the participants regret participating, then you won't have something that reveals some greater truth about human condition or allow some other perspective. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-blackhurst/if-the-participants-regret-participating-then-you-won-t-have/) [Rod Blackhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-blackhurst/) > [Emotional 'literacy' implies an expanded responsibility for schools in helping to socialize children. This daunting task requires two major changes: that teachers go beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/emotional-literacy-implies-an-expanded-responsibility-for-schools-in/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Only 1 in 13 participants in peace negotiations since 1992 has been a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zainab-salbi/only-1-in-13-participants-in-peace-negotiations-since-1992-has-been-a/) [Zainab Salbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zainab-salbi/) > [My Calvinism persuades me that we are open to God, in the sense that we are not delimited, not organisms with fixed attributes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/my-calvinism-persuades-me-that-we-are-open-to-god-in-the-sense-that/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [I believe in the theory of evolution, but I believe as well in the allegorical truth of creation theory. In other words, I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-langan/i-believe-in-the-theory-of-evolution-but-i-believe-as-well-in-the/) [Christopher Langan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-langan/) > [ But the participants \[in war\] never forgot the details of their experience, and like the Wandering Jew, they were condemned to remain their own… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/but-the-participants-in-war-never-forgot-the-details-of-their/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/the-ultimate-aim-of-karate-lies-not-in-victory-or-defeat-but-in-the/) [Gichin Funakoshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gichin-funakoshi/) > [I could give you some names of Workshop participants who are as good as many who are being published but haven't had the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gunn/i-could-give-you-some-names-of-workshop-participants-who-are-as-good/) [James Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gunn/) ## More by Larry Wall > [Not that I have anything much against redundancy. But I said that already.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/not-that-i-have-anything-much-against-redundancy-but-i-said-that/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Perhaps you should compile your Perl with long doubles one of these megaseconds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/perhaps-you-should-compile-your-perl-with-long-doubles-one-of-these/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Take Lisp, you know its the most beautiful language in the world -- at least up until Haskell came along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/take-lisp-you-know-its-the-most-beautiful-language-in-the-world-at/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [I'm reminded of the day my daughter came in, looked over my shoulder at some Perl 4 code, and said, 'What is that, swearing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/i-m-reminded-of-the-day-my-daughter-came-in-looked-over-my-shoulder/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Yes, but I did manage to increase the amount of virginity in the world by that method.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/yes-but-i-did-manage-to-increase-the-amount-of-virginity-in-the-world/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [I won't mention any names, because I don't want to get sun4's into trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/i-won-t-mention-any-names-because-i-don-t-want-to-get-sun4-s-into/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [And besides, if Perl really takes off in the Windows space, I think the rest of us would just as soon have a double-agent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/and-besides-if-perl-really-takes-off-in-the-windows-space-i-think-the/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [In general, they do what you want, unless you want consistency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/in-general-they-do-what-you-want-unless-you-want-consistency/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [I suppose you could switch grammars once you've seen 'use strict subs'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/i-suppose-you-could-switch-grammars-once-you-ve-seen-use-strict-subs/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [While I have historically been a late worker, you know, sometimes I even like to get up early and see what's happened in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/while-i-have-historically-been-a-late-worker-you-know-sometimes-i/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [All language designers are arrogant. Goes with the territory...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/all-language-designers-are-arrogant-goes-with-the-territory/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Perl has a long tradition of working around compilers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/perl-has-a-long-tradition-of-working-around-compilers/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Part of language design is perturbing the proposed feature in various directions to see how it might generalize in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/part-of-language-design-is-perturbing-the-proposed-feature-in-various/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [We can debug relationships, but it's always good policy to consider the people themselves to be features. People get annoyed when you try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/we-can-debug-relationships-but-it-s-always-good-policy-to-consider/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [The whole intent of Perl 5's module system was to encourage the growth of Perl culture rather than the Perl core.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/the-whole-intent-of-perl-5-s-module-system-was-to-encourage-the/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) [Explore all 226 Larry Wall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) ## More Humans quotes > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Houses are like the human beings that inhabit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/houses-are-like-the-human-beings-that-inhabit-them/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [Humans are, as Sartre put it, 'condemned to be free'. To insist that science, or God, objectively defines moral values is to abandon our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenan-malik/humans-are-as-sartre-put-it-condemned-to-be-free-to-insist-that/) [Kenan Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenan-malik/) > [Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/human-beings-have-an-innate-inner-drive-to-be-autonomous-self/) [Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/) > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) [Browse all 32,126 Humans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Natural languages generally are not designed by humans, they're just designed by the participants and you say something new and somebody else says, \"Oh, that's a cool way to say it,\" and the next thing you know, everyone is saying it because it's shiny.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Larry Wall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/natural-languages-generally-are-not-designed-by-humans-they-re-just/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Humans" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/natural-languages-generally-are-not-designed-by-humans-they-re-just/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/larry-wall-1576_humans_natural-languages-generally-are-not-desi_2781600.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/larry-wall-1576_humans_natural-languages-generally-are-not-desi_2781600.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/larry-wall-1576_humans_natural-languages-generally-are-not-desi_2781600.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Natural languages generally are not designed by humans, they're just designed by the participants and you…” — Larry Wall", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Larry Wall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Natural languages generally are not designed...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/natural-languages-generally-are-not-designed-by-humans-they-re-just/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/natural-languages-generally-are-not-designed-by-humans-they-re-just/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```