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

Language does not stand still. Surprisingly, despite this knowledge, most speakers are fearful of change.

- Peter Farb

Gestures and facial expressions do indeed communicate, as anyone can prove by turning off the sound on a television set and asking watchers to charac…

- Peter Farb

People who speak the same language can hate one another as easily as can people who speak unrelated languages.

- Peter Farb

In place of science, the Eskimo has only magic to bridge the gap between what he can understand and what is not known. Without magic, his life would …

- Peter Farb

Food to a large extent is what holds a society together, and eating is closely linked to deep spiritual experiences.

- Peter Farb

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 t…

- Peter Farb

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

Letters to the editors of English and American newspapers often contain expressions of horror about the new terms that creep into the language, and t…

- Peter Farb