"Mr. Mits is representative not only of the general public, but also of many scientific workers, publicists, and writers. Like most people, he takes words as much for granted as the air he breathes, gives them about as much thought. ... But Mr. Mits, like the rest of us, also adjusts himself automatically to changes in the verbal climate, from one type of discourse to another, from one set terms to another, from the listening habits of one kind of social occasion to those of another kind of social occasion, without conscious effort. He has yet, however, to acknowledge the effect of his verbal climate on his mental health and well-being."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
p.16
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Language_in_Thought_and_Action
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Language in Thought and Action
Language in Thought and Action is a book on semantics by Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa, based on his previous work Language in Action published in 1939. Early editions were written in consultation with different people. The current 5th edition was published in 1991.
44 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Language in Thought and Action →
Related Quotes
"My deepest debt in this book is to the General Semantics ('non-Aristotelian system') of Alfred Korzybski. I have also…"
"Insight into human symbolic behavior and into human interaction through symbolic mechanisms comes from all sorts of d…"
"People who like to think of themselves as tough-minded and realistic, among them influential political leaders and bu…"
"Indeed, most of the time when we are listening to the noises people make or looking at the black marks on paper that …"
"A human being, then, is never dependent on his own experience alone for his information. Even in a primitive culture …"
"Language, that is to say, is the indispensable mechanism of human life -- of life such as ours that is molded, guided…"
"To be able to read and write, therefore, is to learn to profit by and take part in the greatest of human achievements…"
"We live in a highly competitive society, each of us trying to outdo the other in wealth, in popularity or social pres…"
"What such a philosophy overlooks is that, despite all the competition at the surface, there is a huge substratum of c…"
"The original version of this book, Language in Action, published in 1941, was in many respects a response to the dang…"