British language quotes:

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I definitely wish to distinguish American poetry from British or other English language poetry. -- Diane Wakoski
I lived for a year in Scotland. British sign language is very different from American. -- I. King Jordan
Shakespeare's language does not require a British accent. It requires a facility with language, and that's all. -- Joss Whedon
Afrikaans is my first language, although you would never know, as my English accent has more of an American-British thing going on from all my years of travelling. -- Tanit Phoenix
The opening and closing ceremonies of the London Olympics are mass satanic rituals disguised as a celebration of Britain and sport. Their medium is the language of symbolism. -- David Icke
Americans don't care what your language is, your race is, whatever. Everyone is there to do their own thing and be successful. I wish people in Britain would be more positive. -- Vinnie Jones
English has always had a special fondness for other European languages, a neighborly soft spot - perhaps because Britain has been invaded by speakers of those languages from the onset of its recorded history. -- Rabih Alameddine
I believe that a large part of the training in the regional theaters is in imitation of the British style of acting. The British orientation is textual; they start from the language and work toward the character. -- Arthur Penn
In the British embassy in Afghanistan in 2008, an embassy of 350 people, there were only three people who could speak Dari, the main language of Afghanistan, at a decent level. And there was not a single Pashto speaker. -- Rory Stewart
One of the characteristics of New Labour - and Miliband is irredeemably of that species - is that, in the guise of a new liberal language, it has adopted the age-old default mode of British foreign policy, namely military intervention. -- Martin Jacques
In terms of language, yeah we get bleeped and blurred and things, but in terms of content, I would probably say we're getting away with more here than we could get away with in Britain. And that surprised us so much! -- Graham Norton
The British political system and the whole clapped out Westminster architecture, and the language that we use about politics, it's completely unsustainable. You either decide to be part of that transition to do something different. Or you cling to old certainties. -- Nick Clegg
I used to watch a lot of American and British television as a child, which helped teach me the language and accents; it was partly that which landed me the part of Roxy in a London production of 'Chicago' when I was 25. -- Birgitte Hjort Sorensen
In France, they call the people who come to the theatre 'les spectateurs'; in Britain and Ireland, they are the audience, the people who listen. This does not mean the French are not interested in language. On the contrary. It actually says more about the undeveloped visual sense over here. -- Simon McBurney
The contribution of West African languages to Ebonics is absolutely infinitesimal. What it actually is is a very interesting hybrid of regional dialects of Great Britain that slaves in America were exposed to because they often worked alongside the indentured servants who spoke those dialects that we often learn about in school. -- John McWhorter
With the United States in slow long-term decline, how will that affect the position of English? And where will all that leave monolingual Britain? Our political leaders like to boast about how global Britain is, but when it comes to languages, it is near the bottom of the global league, together with another island state, Japan. -- Martin Jacques
I feel more Irish than English. I feel freer than British, more visceral, with a love of language. Shot through with fire in some way. That's why I resist being appropriated as the current repository of Shakespeare on the planet. That would mean I'm part of the English cultural elite, and I am utterly ill-fitted to be. -- Kenneth Branagh
You know, you can make a small mistake in language or etiquette in Britain, or you could when I was younger, and really be made to feel it, and it's the flick of a lash, but it would sting, and especially at school where there's not much privacy, and so on. You could, yes, undoubtedly be made to feel crushed. -- Christopher Hitchens
That's a true actor's nightmare: "Improvise in British sign language. Go." -- Hank Azaria
The Americans are identical to the British in all respects except, of course, language. -- Oscar Wilde
Being British, I don't really have a way of expressing myself in conversation. Music transcends language. -- James Blunt
Amazing what the British do with language; the nuances of politeness. The world's great diplomats, surely. -- Anne Rice
I feel Mahatma Gandhi's non-violence was for the intelligent, educated British.It was not for those who don't understand this language. -- Raj Thackeray
I may fight the British ruler, but I do not hate the English or their language. In fact, I appreciate their literary treasures. -- Mahatma Gandhi
At the end of the day, flirting is a pretty universal language. Americans are more direct. British people are more indirect about everything -- Rachel Weisz
I listened to a lot of tapes of British theatre actresses and tried to learn from them. As Americans, we don't have such a gift with language. -- Angelina Jolie

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