Men in all societies possess the biological equipment to remove their hats or shoes, but it is the birth within a particular culture that decides that a Jew will keep his hat and shoes on in his place of worship, a Mohammedan will take off his shoes, and a Christian will keep his shoes on but remove his hat.
Peter FarbNative speakers of a language know intuitively whether a sentence is grammatical or not. They usually cannot specify exactly what is wrong, and very possibly they make the same mistakes in their own speech, but they know-unconsciously, not as a set of rules they learned in school-when a sentence is incorrect.
Peter FarbThe environment does not determine man's culture; it merely sets the outer limits and at the same time offers opportunities.
Peter FarbLanguage does not stand still. Surprisingly, despite this knowledge, most speakers are fearful of change.
Peter Farb