# Quote — Peter Farb, Word Play

> The weakness of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis... the impossibility of generalizing about entire cultures and then attributing these generalizations to the language spoken ...is to leave numerous facts about culture unexplained. The great religions of the world... have flourished among diverse peoples who speak languages with sharply different grammars. ...Cultures as diverse as the Aztec Empire of Mexico and the Ute hunting bands of the Great Basin spoke very closely related tongues.

- Author: [Peter Farb](https://www.leafyquotes.com/peter-farb.md)
- Book: [Word Play](https://www.leafyquotes.com/peter-farb/word-play.md)
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Peter_Farb#Word_Play_(1974)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/peter-farb/word-play/the-weakness-of-the

## More from this book

> Each language encourages its speakers to tell certain things and to ignore other things.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/peter-farb/word-play/each-language-encourages.md)

> Experiments... have shown that at least one aspect of human thought—memory—is strongly influenced by language.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/peter-farb/word-play/experiments-have-shown.md)

> Wilhelm von Humboldt... stated that the structure of language expresses the inner life of its speakers: "Man lives with the world about him, principally, indeed exclusively, as language presents it."

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/peter-farb/word-play/wilhelm-von-humboldt.md)