Benjamin Lee Whorf  

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-The '''linguistic relativity''' principle, or the '''Sapir-Whorf hypothesis''' is the idea that differences in the way [[language]]s encode cultural and cognitive categories affect the way people think, so that speakers of different languages think and behave differently because of it. A strong version of the hypothesis holds that language determines thought and that linguistic categories limit and determine cognitive categories. A weaker version states that linguistic categories and usage influence thought and certain kinds of non-linguistic behaviour. 
-The idea was first clearly expressed by 19th century thinkers, such as [[Wilhelm von Humboldt]] who saw language as the expression of the spirit of a nation. The early 20th century school of American Anthropology headed by [[Franz Boas]] and [[Edward Sapir]] also embraced the idea. Sapir's student [[Benjamin Lee Whorf]] came to be seen as the primary proponent of the hypothesis, because he published observations of how he perceived linguistic differences to have consequences in human cognition and behaviour. Whorf's ideas were widely criticised, and [[Roger Brown (psychologist)|Roger Brown]] and [[Eric Lenneberg]] decided to put them to the test. They reformulated Whorf's principle of linguistic relativity as a testable hypothesis, now called the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, and conducted experiments designed to find out whether [[color perception]] varies between speakers of languages that classified colors differently. As the study of the universal nature of human language and cognition came in to focus in the 1960s the idea of linguistic relativity fell out of favor. A 1969 study by [[Brent Berlin]] and [[Paul Kay]] showed that color terminology is subject to universal semantic constraints, and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was seen as completely discredited. +'''Benjamin Lee Whorf''' (April 24, 1897 – July 26, 1941) was an American [[Linguistics|linguist]] and [[fire prevention]] engineer. Whorf is widely known as an advocate for the idea that differences between the structures of different languages shape how their speakers perceive and conceptualize the world. This principle has frequently been called the "[[Sapir–Whorf hypothesis]]", after him and his mentor [[Edward Sapir]], but Whorf called it the principle of [[linguistic relativity]], because he saw the idea as having implications similar to [[Albert Einstein|Einstein's]] principle of [[general relativity|physical relativity]].
-From the late 1980s a new school of linguistic relativity scholars have examined the effects of differences in linguistic categorization on cognition, finding broad support for weak versions of the hypothesis in experimental contexts. Effects of linguistic relativity have been shown particularly in the domain of spatial cognition and in the social use of language, but also in the field of color perception. Recent studies have shown that color perception is particularly prone to linguistic relativity effects when processed in the left brain hemisphere, suggesting that this brain half relies more on language than the right one. Currently a balanced view of linguistic relativity is espoused by most linguists holding that language influences certain kinds of cognitive processes in non-trivial ways but that other processes are better seen as subject to universal factors. Current research is focused on exploring the ways in which language influences thought and determining to what extent. The principle of linguistic relativity and the relation between language and thought has also received attention in varying academic fields from [[philosophy]] to [[psychology]] and [[anthropology]], and it has also inspired works of fiction and the invention of [[constructed language]]s. +Throughout his life Whorf was a chemical engineer by profession, but as a young man he took up an interest in linguistics. At first this interest drew him to the study of [[Biblical Hebrew]], but he quickly went on to study the indigenous languages of [[Mesoamerica]] on his own. Professional scholars were impressed by his work and in 1930 he received a grant to study the [[Nahuatl]] language in Mexico; on his return home he presented several influential papers on the language at linguistics conferences.
-==See also==+This led him to begin studying linguistics with Edward Sapir at [[Yale University]] while still maintaining his day job at the [[Hartford Fire Insurance Company]]. During his time at Yale he worked on the description of the [[Hopi language]], and the [[historical linguistics]] of the [[Uto-Aztecan languages]], publishing many influential papers in professional journals. He was chosen as the substitute for Sapir during his medical leave in 1938. Whorf taught his seminar on "Problems of American Indian Linguistics". In addition to his well-known work on linguistic relativity, he wrote a grammar sketch of Hopi and studies of [[Nahuatl]] dialects, proposed a deciphering of [[Maya script|Maya hieroglyphic writing]], and published the first attempt towards a reconstruction of Uto-Aztecan.
-*[[Basic Color Terms: Their Universality and Evolution]]+ 
-*[[Eskimo words for snow]]+After his death from cancer in 1941 his manuscripts were curated by his linguist friends who also worked to spread the influence of Whorf's ideas on the relation between language, culture and cognition. Many of his works were published posthumously in the first decades after his death. In the 1960s Whorf's views fell out of favor and he became the subject of harsh criticisms by scholars who considered language structure to primarily reflect cognitive universals rather than cultural differences. Critics argued that Whorf's ideas were untestable and poorly formulated and that they were based on badly analyzed or misunderstood data.
-*[[Language and thought]]+ 
-*[[Linguistic anthropology]]+In the late 20th century, interest in Whorf's ideas experienced a resurgence, and a new generation of scholars began reading Whorf's works, arguing that previous critiques had only engaged superficially with Whorf's actual ideas, or had attributed to him ideas he had never expressed. The field of linguistic relativity studies remains an active focus of research in [[psycholinguistics]] and [[linguistic anthropology]], and continues to generate debate and controversy between proponents of relativism and proponents of universalism. By comparison, Whorf's other work in linguistics, the development of such concepts as the [[allophone]] and the [[cryptotype]], and the formulation of "[[Whorf's law]]" in Uto-Aztecan historical linguistics, have met with broad acceptance.
-*[[Linguistic Determinism]]+
-*[[Relativism]]+
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Benjamin Lee Whorf (April 24, 1897 – July 26, 1941) was an American linguist and fire prevention engineer. Whorf is widely known as an advocate for the idea that differences between the structures of different languages shape how their speakers perceive and conceptualize the world. This principle has frequently been called the "Sapir–Whorf hypothesis", after him and his mentor Edward Sapir, but Whorf called it the principle of linguistic relativity, because he saw the idea as having implications similar to Einstein's principle of physical relativity.

Throughout his life Whorf was a chemical engineer by profession, but as a young man he took up an interest in linguistics. At first this interest drew him to the study of Biblical Hebrew, but he quickly went on to study the indigenous languages of Mesoamerica on his own. Professional scholars were impressed by his work and in 1930 he received a grant to study the Nahuatl language in Mexico; on his return home he presented several influential papers on the language at linguistics conferences.

This led him to begin studying linguistics with Edward Sapir at Yale University while still maintaining his day job at the Hartford Fire Insurance Company. During his time at Yale he worked on the description of the Hopi language, and the historical linguistics of the Uto-Aztecan languages, publishing many influential papers in professional journals. He was chosen as the substitute for Sapir during his medical leave in 1938. Whorf taught his seminar on "Problems of American Indian Linguistics". In addition to his well-known work on linguistic relativity, he wrote a grammar sketch of Hopi and studies of Nahuatl dialects, proposed a deciphering of Maya hieroglyphic writing, and published the first attempt towards a reconstruction of Uto-Aztecan.

After his death from cancer in 1941 his manuscripts were curated by his linguist friends who also worked to spread the influence of Whorf's ideas on the relation between language, culture and cognition. Many of his works were published posthumously in the first decades after his death. In the 1960s Whorf's views fell out of favor and he became the subject of harsh criticisms by scholars who considered language structure to primarily reflect cognitive universals rather than cultural differences. Critics argued that Whorf's ideas were untestable and poorly formulated and that they were based on badly analyzed or misunderstood data.

In the late 20th century, interest in Whorf's ideas experienced a resurgence, and a new generation of scholars began reading Whorf's works, arguing that previous critiques had only engaged superficially with Whorf's actual ideas, or had attributed to him ideas he had never expressed. The field of linguistic relativity studies remains an active focus of research in psycholinguistics and linguistic anthropology, and continues to generate debate and controversy between proponents of relativism and proponents of universalism. By comparison, Whorf's other work in linguistics, the development of such concepts as the allophone and the cryptotype, and the formulation of "Whorf's law" in Uto-Aztecan historical linguistics, have met with broad acceptance.




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