All lists of elements, relations among them, and statements about them are applicable only to the particular language for which they are made.
- Harris (1951), a pag.8

The linguistic ELEMENTS are defined for each language by associating them with particular features of speech—or rather, differences between portions or features of speech—to which the linguist can but refer. They are marked by symbols, whether letters of the alphabet or others, and may represent simultaneous or successive features of speech, although they may in either case be written successively. The elements will be said to represent, indicate, or identify, rather than describe, the features in question. For each language, an explicit list of elements is defined.
- Harris (1951), a pag.14

Each element may be said to occur over some SEGMENT of the utterance i.e. over a part of the linguistic representation of the time-extension of the utterance.
- Harris (1951), a pag.14

Each element is identified with some features of speech in the language in question: for most of linguistic analysis the association is one-one (the features in question are associated only with element 'X', and element 'X' is associated only with the features in question); in some parts of the analysis the association may be one-many (element 'X' is associated only with certain features, but these features are sometimes associated with 'X' and sometimes with another element 'Y').
- Harris (1951), a pag.16

Once the elements are defined, any occurrence of speech in question can be represented by a combination of these elements, each element being used to indicate the occurrence in the speech of a feature with which the element is associated by its definition.
- Harris (1951), a pag.17

It is therefore more convenient to consider the elements as purely logical symbols, upon which various operations of mathematical logic can be performed.
- Harris (1951), a pag.18

Linguistic elements have also been defined as variables representing any member of a class of linguistically equivalent portions of the flow of speech.
- Harris (1951), a pag.18

The linguistic elements can be viewed as representing always the behavioral features associated with them, and irregularly any other behavioral features (such as coughs) which sometimes occur.
- Harris (1951), a pag.19

It is true that the linguistic elements do not describe speech or enable one to reproduce it. But they make it possible to organize a great many statements about speech, which can be made in terms of the linguistic elements.
- Harris (1951), a pag.19, n.21

Elements having different meanings (different correlation with social situations) apparently have in general different environments of other elements, if we go far enough afield and take enough occurrences.
- Harris (1951), a pag.365, n.6