looking for a linguistical/semiotic quote

[rusi]

On Thursday, June 27, 2013 4:49:23 PM UTC+5:30, Chris Angelico wrote:
> On Thu, Jun 27, 2013 at 9:14 PM, rusi  wrote:
> 
> > I am looking for a quote
> > (from Whorf/Sapir/Wittgenstein/Humboldt dunno... that 'school')
> >
> > It goes something like this:
> >
> > What characterizes a language is not what we can say in it but what we must -- like it or not -- say.
> 
> I think you may be looking for Larry Wall's statement in his State of
> the Onion talk: 
> 
> http://www.perl.com/pub/2007/12/06/soto-11.html
> 
> He's comparing human and programming languages and says pretty much
> what you're saying. Of couse, he's probably not the first person to
> have made that remark in some form or another... so you may still be
> looking for someone else.

Thanks. Here's the quote:

> Human languages therefore differ not so much in what you can say but in what 
> you must say. In English, you are forced to differentiate singular from 
> plural. In Japanese, you don't have to distinguish singular from plural, but 
> you do have to pick a specific level of politeness, taking into account not 
> only your degree of respect for the person you're talking to, but also your 
> degree of respect for the person or thing you're talking about.

I am still not sure he is the originator of it
If yes then he has my (single-valenced English) respect