![]() ![]() Whorf taught that “the language one speaks shapes the world one sees.” 2 In other words, “specific aspects of a language provide a grid, or structure, that influences how humans categorize space, time, and other aspects of reality into a worldview.” 3 We think in terms of words or other symbols, and they are required as a precondition for a human to form an idea-or, at least, to express the idea to others. ![]() This theory, called linguistic relativity, is also called the Whorf Hypothesis in his honor. ![]() Whorf is also well-known for his research demonstrating that a person’s thinking skills-the conceptualization of ideas and their expressions-are heavily dependent on language, particularly vocabulary. He is most well-known for the Sapir-Whorf theory on linguistic relativity, which he developed with his mentor and co-worker, Yale anthropologist Edward Sapir. 1 Crucial to his view is the conclusion that language is not the result of evolutionary survival, nor is it shaped by any alleged advantage that it gave in aiding a species’ survival it is an incredibly complex designed system. Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897-1941) is best known both for documenting the importance of language in shaping our innermost thoughts and for documenting the strong connection between language and behavior. ![]()
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