Ask A Linguist FAQ: The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis.
Sapir-whorf hypothesis definition, a theory developed by Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf that states that the structure of a language determines or greatly influences the modes of thought and behavior characteristic of the culture in which it is spoken. See more.The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is the theory that an individual's thoughts and actions are determined by the language or languages that individual speaks. The strong version of the hypothesis states that all human thoughts and actions are bound by the restraints of language, and is generally less accepted than the weaker version, which says that.What Is the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis? PAUL KAY University of Calqornia, Berkeley WILLETT KEMPTON Michigan State University The history of empirical research on the Sapir- Whorf hypothesis is reviewed.A more sen- sitive test of the hypothesis is devised and a clear Whorfian effect is detected in the domain of color. A specijic mechanism is proposed to account for this effect and a second experi-.
Linguistic relativity, also known as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, holds that the structure of the language natively spoken by people defines the way they view the world and interact with it. This post helps you understand this concept with the help of examples.The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is the idea that the difference in language limits and affects our thought process to only the language one speaks, therefore, not depicting the world and culture in ways others that different languages may perceive it. Sapir created this hypothesis while his student, Whorf, was the one who popularized it. This theory.
Broadly, the belief that people who speak different languages perceive and think about the world quite differently, their worldviews being shaped or determined by the language of their culture (a notion rejected by social determinists and by realists). The stance is loosely derived from the theories of Benjamin Lee Whorf and his teacher Edward Sapir in the 1930s, though subsequent.
