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

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

Letters to the editors of English and American newspapers often contain expressions of horror about the new terms that creep into the language, and these expressions are usually accompanied by dire predictions about ruination of the mother tongue.

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 the same language.

An invention or new combination can be successful only if all if the elements necessary for the recombination are present in the culture.

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 the rules of grammar and the rules about appropriate speech in various situations.

A complex society is not necessarily more advanced than a simple one; it has just adapted to conditions in a more complicated way.