Note 163 — Chapter V · CITIES AND PEOPLES (B) PEOPLES, RACES, TONGUES

W. von Humboldt (Über die Verschiedenheit des menschlichen Sprachbaues) was the first to emphasize the fact that a language is not a thing, but an activity. “If we would be quite precise, we can certainly say there is no such thing as ‘language,’ just as there is no such thing as ‘intellect’; but man does speak, and does act intellectually.”