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The evidence for and against the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis Essay

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (SWH) claims that there is a scientific relationship involving the grammatical categories of the language a person addresses and how that individual both is aware of the world and behaves in it. (Wikipedia) The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was made by two American linguists, Edward Sapir and his student Edward Shelter Whorf, inside the early thirties.

It is considered to be a mold language theory, which presents language as being a mould with regards to which believed categories will be cast. (Bruner et approach. 1956). At a very basic level, the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis contains two associated ideas, those of linguistic relativity, where the vocabulary you speak will effect your prospect on the real world, and a stronger thought of linguistic perseverance, where each of our thinking and interpretation of the world around all of us is established by language we speak.

It had been Edward Sapir who theorized that our standpoint on the world is troubled by the language. Whorfs theory was drawn from a report of Hopi Indians, which will stated that their terminology has no concept of time since an objective becoming. From this, Whorf attempted to prove the linguistic relativity theory by looking on the way the Hopi rely on preparation, such as planning situations in advance, really does show a concept of time. In this instance it is just time continuing along instead of coordinating the american way of dividing up period.

He claimed that this notion of time coordinated their linguistic differences, which in turn shows terminology determining believed. Sapir and Whorf decided that it is kinds culture which will determines terminology, which then establishes the way our thoughts and experiences on the planet are classified. One of the main complications with Whorfs theory is the notion of causality. Whorf cannot show if the terminology determined the thought, or if this was in fact the other way around, together with the thought deciding the language.

Another criticism of Whorfs theory is that of the idea of transferability. In this article the problem in the event that that in the event language really does in fact influence thought, as Whorf stated, then logically some ideas would be understandable in their original language, yet this has not recently been found as the case when ever studying Of india languages, or translated beautifully constructed wording. Stephen Pinker was one of the primary critics in the Sapir-Whorf speculation, arguing that it must be no more then the myth. No one is seriously sure how Whorf created his outlandish claims, nevertheless his limited, badly analysed sample of Hopi speech and his long term leanings to mysticism need to have helped’ (Pinker 1994).

Pinker points out that there have been research by the anthropologist Malotki which in turn show which the Hopis do in fact have got a concept of your energy similar to the Western Worlds, which has a calendar. Whorf also under no circumstances met a great Indian, and his analysis can be wholly based upon his translation of their language, meaning this individual cannot extend his debate. If Whorfs hypothesis that language determines thought is definitely taken as fact, then rationally, those with no language would not think.

If this sounds the case, after that how do infants learn and develop language without thought processes? Pinker cited an instance of Schallers, (1991), the case of Idlefonso. Idlefonso was an immigrant who had simply no language by any means, yet having been numerate, and was able to end up being taught signal language.

Once able to express himself through signal language, he could converse with Schaller, recounting experiences from before he could connect. If Whorfs hypothesis had been correct, the Idlefonso may not have been in a position to think, that has been clearly not the case. However , only a few critics of Whorfs theory were adverse. Carrol and Casagrande (1958) proved that Navaho Of india children had been better for form identification than traditional western children, helping confirm Whorfs hypothesis that language determines thought. Several studies have also been performed which will show support for the idea of linguistic relativity.

Lucy and Shweder (1979) performed a colour recollection test that has been found to back up Whorfs linguistic relativity speculation. Children with language to describe different color hues located it better to recognize the shades. Each time a language features terms several shades of color, the understanding of that hue is influenced.

Lucy and Shweder identified that colour recognition storage was directly affected by what used to describe them, proving that language does affect thought in some way, but is not to the intense extent that Whorf advised.. One generally accepted critique of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is the fact the ideas which usually Sapir and Whorf created can be recognized on a basic, but the level to which Whorf and Sapir were correct cannot be settled due to the changing broadness with their definitions. Whorf and Sapir hypothesized that thought and language had been extremely tightly related, making statements ranging from the idea that dialect determines thought, to the proven fact that language has its own bearing on thought, nevertheless that connection cannot be identified.

Many examples are given coming from linguists to show whether they support or deny the speculation, with most linguists receiving a weak version of the Sapir-Whorf speculation. There have been zero significant disproofs or evidence of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, and the original is extremely vague, leaving a lot of room for interpretation. This vagueness with the original Sapir-Whorf hypothesis implies that no sufficient conclusions could be drawn, although some experts, such as Stephen Pinker think that the speculation is no even more then a fantasy, there are many different opinions out there, equally agreeing and disagreeing with this opinion. References: Bruner, J. T., J. T. Goodnow & G. A. Austin ([1956] 1962): A Study of Considering.

New York: WileyCarroll, J. and J. Casagrande. 1958. The Function of Language Category in Patterns. Psychic readings in Sociable Psychology. Nyc: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. Lucy, J. and L. Shweder. 1979. Whorf and His Critics: Linguistic and Nonlinguistic Influences upon Color Storage. American Anthropologist 81: 581-615. Pinker, Stephen (1994): The Language Behavioral instinct. Harmondsworth: PenguinSapir, E. (1929): The Position of Linguistics as a Science’. In Elizabeth. Sapir (1958): Culture, Language and Personality (ed. G. G. Mandelbaum). Berkeley, CA: University of California PressWhorf, B. T. (1940): Science and Linguistics’, Technology Assessment 42(6): 229-31, 247-8. Also in N. L. Whorf (1956): Language, Thought and Reality (ed. J. W. Carroll).

Cambridge, MA: MIT PressWikipedia, utilized 04. 03. 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapir-Whorf_hypothesis

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