The Sapir–Whorf Hypothesis is a linguistic theory that states that the semantic structure of a language determines, or greatly influences, the ways in which a speaker forms conceptions of the world; modes of thought and behavior characteristic of the culture in which it is spoken. The theory is named after the American anthropological linguist Edward Sapir (1884–1939) and his student Benjamin Whorf (1897–1941). It is also known as the theory of linguistic relativity, linguistic relativism, linguistic determinism, Whorfian hypothesis, and Whorfianism.

Reflections

"Language can change the brain, but—in most cases—it's unclear that language is the catalyst for the neuroplasticity. There are some instances from bilingualism that have really blown it away where bilinguals will respond with different cognitive—not just linguistic—signatures depending on the language they're using. In a lab, they will perform the same task, but if they doing it in another fluent language they give significantly different answers." ~ @After@Justin Lane, PhD

Readings

• The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, thoughtco.com

Tags

• #linguistics