---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bilingualism is for me the fundamental…"
description: "\"Bilingualism is for me the fundamental problem of linguistics.\" — Roman Jakobson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/roman-jakobson-22644_bilingualism_bilingualism-is-for-me-the-fundamental-p_1346885.png"
---

#  Bilingualism is for me the fundamental problem of…

![“Bilingualism is for me the fundamental problem of linguistics.” quote by Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/roman-jakobson-22644_bilingualism_bilingualism-is-for-me-the-fundamental-p_1346885.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/roman-jakobson-22644_bilingualism_bilingualism-is-for-me-the-fundamental-p_1346885.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/roman-jakobson-22644_bilingualism_bilingualism-is-for-me-the-fundamental-p_1346885.png)

> “Bilingualism is for me the fundamental problem of linguistics.”

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Bilingualism challenges core linguistic issues because it reveals how languages interact within the mind.

**In simple terms:** Bilingualism shows language interaction.

Key Takeaway

Study how languages influence each other.

Themes

language cognition identity

Mood

analytical reflective

Type

academic theoretical

When to use this quote

- education policy
- immigration integration
- family language planning

Key Concepts

bilingualism code‑switching cognitive flexibility

Questions to Reflect On

- How does bilingualism reshape thought?
- What policies support bilingual education?

A Different Perspective

May overlook monolingual perspectives.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bilingualism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bilingualism/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Linguistics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/linguistics/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/)

## Related quotes

> [The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem it will avail us little to solve all others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-conservation-of-natural-resources-is-the-fundamental-problem/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [A new era in the physiological investigation of linguistic sounds was opened up by X-ray photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/a-new-era-in-the-physiological-investigation-of-linguistic-sounds-was/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [A linguist deaf to the poetic functions of language and a literary scholar indifferent to linguistics are equally flagrant anachronisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/a-linguist-deaf-to-the-poetic-functions-of-language-and-a-literary/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [The fact that it wasn't tells me that we've got a much more fundamental problem of understanding what went wrong, and we've got to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/the-fact-that-it-wasn-t-tells-me-that-we-ve-got-a-much-more/)

[David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

> [Certainly if the fundamental problem of society is that demands are infinite and resources are always limited, politics, not economics is the master science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/certainly-if-the-fundamental-problem-of-society-is-that-demands-are/)

[Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/)

> [I have no doubt that the fundamental problem the planet faces is the enormous increase in the human population](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/i-have-no-doubt-that-the-fundamental-problem-the-planet-faces-is-the/)

[David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/)

> [Wherever illiteracy is a problem, it's as fundamental a problem as getting enough to eat or a place to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/northrop-frye/wherever-illiteracy-is-a-problem-it-s-as-fundamental-a-problem-as/)

[Northrop Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/northrop-frye/)

> [And before I'd got to the end of the first paragraph, I'd come up slap bang against a fundamental problem that still troubles me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/and-before-i-d-got-to-the-end-of-the-first-paragraph-i-d-come-up-slap/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [The fundamental problem of communication is that of reproducing at one point either exactly or approximately a message selected at another point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/the-fundamental-problem-of-communication-is-that-of-reproducing-at/)

[Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/)

> [“So this is a fundamental problem, being out of a loop that I don't even believe in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-othmer/so-this-is-a-fundamental-problem-being-out-of-a-loop-that-i-don-t/)

James P. Othmer

> [In a sense Shapley's telling me that space was transparent, which I shouldn't have believed, illustrates a fundamental problem in science, believing what people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-l-greenstein/in-a-sense-shapley-s-telling-me-that-space-was-transparent-which-i/)

Jesse L. Greenstein

> [“The fundamental problem has nothing to do with your behavior or your attitude. It has everything to do with having a wrong map.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/the-fundamental-problem-has-nothing-to-do-with-your-behavior-or-your/)

[Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/)

> [The fundamental problem is not that Trump has access to the nuclear launch codes, but that they exist at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-plame/the-fundamental-problem-is-not-that-trump-has-access-to-the-nuclear/)

[Valerie Plame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-plame/)

> [The conservation of our natural resources and their proper use constitute the fundamental problem which underlies almost every other problem of our national life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-conservation-of-our-natural-resources-and-their-proper-use/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [“The virtually unanimous support of bilingualism among Hispanic activists, “leaders” and “spokesmen”—in contrast to Hispanic parents—is understandable only in terms of the self-interest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-virtually-unanimous-support-of-bilingualism-among-hispanic/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

## More by Roman Jakobson

> [Remember that the pharynx is at a crossroads from which leads off, at the top, the passage to the mouth cavity and the passage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/remember-that-the-pharynx-is-at-a-crossroads-from-which-leads-off-at/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [It is once again the vexing problem of identity within variety; without a solution to this disturbing problem there can be no system, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/it-is-once-again-the-vexing-problem-of-identity-within-variety/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [A new era in the physiological investigation of linguistic sounds was opened up by X-ray photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/a-new-era-in-the-physiological-investigation-of-linguistic-sounds-was/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [When I speak it is in order to be heard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/when-i-speak-it-is-in-order-to-be-heard/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [A linguist deaf to the poetic functions of language and a literary scholar indifferent to linguistics are equally flagrant anachronisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/a-linguist-deaf-to-the-poetic-functions-of-language-and-a-literary/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [The poetic function is the set towards the message itself, focus on the message for its own sake which by promoting the palpability of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/the-poetic-function-is-the-set-towards-the-message-itself-focus-on/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [What's next? Shall we appoint elephants to teach zoology?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/what-s-next-shall-we-appoint-elephants-to-teach-zoology/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [At first acoustics attributed to the different sounds only a limited number of characteristic features.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/at-first-acoustics-attributed-to-the-different-sounds-only-a-limited/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [Speech sounds cannot be understood, delimited, classified and explained except in the light of the tasks which they perform in language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/speech-sounds-cannot-be-understood-delimited-classified-and-explained/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [From a strictly articulatory point of view there is no succession of sounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/from-a-strictly-articulatory-point-of-view-there-is-no-succession-of/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [Instead of following one another the sounds overlap; a sound which is acoustically perceived as coming after another one can be articulated simultaneously with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/instead-of-following-one-another-the-sounds-overlap-a-sound-which-is/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [In poetic language, in which the sign as such takes on an autonomous value, this sound symbolism becomes an actual factor and creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/in-poetic-language-in-which-the-sign-as-such-takes-on-an-autonomous/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [Semantics, or the study of meaning, remained undeveloped, while phonetics made rapid progress and even came to occupy the central place in the scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/semantics-or-the-study-of-meaning-remained-undeveloped-while/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [Of course, we have known for a long time that a word, like any verbal sign, is a unity of two components.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/of-course-we-have-known-for-a-long-time-that-a-word-like-any-verbal/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [The function of poetry is to point out that the sign is not identical to the referent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/the-function-of-poetry-is-to-point-out-that-the-sign-is-not-identical/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

[Explore all 26 Roman Jakobson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

## More Bilingualism quotes

> [“The virtually unanimous support of bilingualism among Hispanic activists, “leaders” and “spokesmen”—in contrast to Hispanic parents—is understandable only in terms of the self-interest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-virtually-unanimous-support-of-bilingualism-among-hispanic/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [After all, enforced national bilingualism in this country isn't mere policy. It has attained the status of a religion. It's a dogma which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/after-all-enforced-national-bilingualism-in-this-country-isn-t-mere/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/knowledge-of-languages-is-the-doorway-to-wisdom/)

[Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/)

> [Bilingualism is a great asset for any individual, but it has perilous consequences for a nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/bilingualism-is-a-great-asset-for-any-individual-but-it-has-perilous/)

[Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/)

> [We were doing the same thing. We will never have "a" Chicano English or Spanish because of regional differences. But I think that because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/we-were-doing-the-same-thing-we-will-never-have-a-chicano-english-or/)

[Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/)

> [Bilingualism for the individual is fine, but not for a country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/bilingualism-for-the-individual-is-fine-but-not-for-a-country/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [Bilingualism used to have an undeservedly bad reputation; then it got an undeservedly exalted one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-gessen/bilingualism-used-to-have-an-undeservedly-bad-reputation-then-it-got/)

[Keith Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-gessen/)

> [Bilingualism lets you have your cake and eat it. The new language opens the doors to the best jobs in society; the old language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/bilingualism-lets-you-have-your-cake-and-eat-it-the-new-language/)

[David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/)

> [“There are those who eagerly learn another language to be one with another culture, then there are those morons who insist on the exclusive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/there-are-those-who-eagerly-learn-another-language-to-be-one-with/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [After all, enforced national bilingualism in this country isn't mere policy. It has attained the status of a religion. It's a dogma which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/after-all-enforced-national-bilingualism-in-this-country-isn-t-mere-2/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [As a religion, bilingualism is the god that failed. It has led to no fairness, produced no unity, and cost Canadian taxpayers untold millions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/as-a-religion-bilingualism-is-the-god-that-failed-it-has-led-to-no/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [Bilingualism is not an imposition on the citizens. The citizens can go on speaking one language or six languages, or no languages if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/bilingualism-is-not-an-imposition-on-the-citizens-the-citizens-can-go/)

[Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/)

> [“how bilingualism has been shown to benefit • bilingual children’s precocious knowledge of language, • their enhanced cognitive development in general, and • the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-zurer-pearson/how-bilingualism-has-been-shown-to-benefit-bilingual-children-s/)

Barbara Zurer Pearson

> [Bilingualism opens doors and provides opportunity to our children so they can shine and become successful in a labor market that is increasingly competitive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-fortuno/bilingualism-opens-doors-and-provides-opportunity-to-our-children-so/)

[Luis Fortuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-fortuno/)

[Browse all 15 Bilingualism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bilingualism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Bilingualism is for me the fundamental problem of linguistics.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Roman Jakobson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/bilingualism-is-for-me-the-fundamental-problem-of-linguistics/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bilingualism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/bilingualism-is-for-me-the-fundamental-problem-of-linguistics/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/roman-jakobson-22644_bilingualism_bilingualism-is-for-me-the-fundamental-p_1346885.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/roman-jakobson-22644_bilingualism_bilingualism-is-for-me-the-fundamental-p_1346885.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/roman-jakobson-22644_bilingualism_bilingualism-is-for-me-the-fundamental-p_1346885.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Bilingualism is for me the fundamental problem of linguistics.” — Roman Jakobson",
                "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": "Roman Jakobson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Bilingualism is for me the fundamental...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/bilingualism-is-for-me-the-fundamental-problem-of-linguistics/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/bilingualism-is-for-me-the-fundamental-problem-of-linguistics/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
