--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The language I have learnt these forty…" description: "\"The language I have learnt these forty years, My native English, now I must forgo; And now my tongue's use is to me no more Than an unstringed viol or ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/william-shakespeare-4_cunning_the-language-i-have-learnt-these-forty-y_1547161.jpg" --- # The language I have learnt these forty years, My native… ![“The language I have learnt these forty years, My native English, now I must forgo; And now my tongue's use is to me no more Than an unstringed viol or a harp, Or like a cunning instrument cased up Or, being open, put into his hands That knows no touch to tune the harmony.” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/william-shakespeare-4_cunning_the-language-i-have-learnt-these-forty-y_1547161.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/william-shakespeare-4_cunning_the-language-i-have-learnt-these-forty-y_1547161.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/william-shakespeare-4_cunning_the-language-i-have-learnt-these-forty-y_1547161.jpg) > “The language I have learnt these forty years, My native English, now I must forgo; And now my tongue's use is to me no more Than an unstringed viol or a harp, Or like a cunning instrument cased up Or, being open, put into his hands That knows no touch to tune the harmony.” [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A speaker laments losing the natural ease of his mother tongue, feeling it has become a dead, untuned instrument. **In simple terms:** He feels his native language is now useless and out of tune. Key Takeaway Embrace new languages while preserving your roots. Themes language identity loss art communication Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - emigrants adapting to new cultures - artists feeling creative block - students learning a second language - expats missing home language - musicians comparing instruments Key Concepts linguistics nostalgia creativity Questions to Reflect On - How does language shape your sense of self? - Can you find harmony between old and new tongues? 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