Whorf Hypothesis 1 Linguistic determinism Language determines governs
- Slides: 7
Whorf Hypothesis 1) Linguistic determinism: Language determines / governs / affects non-linguistic cognitive processes [and behavior]. [STRONG and WEAK versions] 2) Linguistic relativity: Cognitive processes are different for different languages. OR People who speak different languages see the world differently. Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, pp. 365, 370. 1
Testing the Whorf Hypothesis "Attempts to test the hypothesis that differences in language determine differences in thinking must, at the outset, define three key terms. " 1) "differences in language" lexical or grammatical 2) "differences in thinking" "habitual mode of thought" 3) "languages 'determine' thought" "Languages differ not so much as to what can be said in them, but rather as to what is relatively easy to say' ([Hockett, 1954: ] 122)" Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, pp. 369 -370. 2
Evidence for the Whorf Hypothesis Lexical Evidence Color terms Lexical categories: typicality and familiarity Number terms: counting and naming Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, pp. 369 -375. 3
Hierarchy of Color Terms 1 black white 2 3 4 5 6 red yellow green blue brown purple pink orange gray Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, p. 371. 4
Characteristics of Number Names -1 Chinese English 1 -10 arbitrary 11 -19 regular transparent not regular not transparent 20, 30… regular transparent consistent not transparent Based on Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, p. 374 -375. 5
Multiply these numbers: Western 16 x 3 8 x 7 24 x 4 English words seventeen three four nine twenty-one two Roman numerals XVI V VIII IX XXII III Chinese 十八 四 九 六 二十三 三 6
Evidence for the Whorf Hypothesis Lexical Evidence Color terms Lexical categories: typicality and familiarity Number terms: counting and naming Grammatical Influence on Cognition Form perception Counterfactual reasoning Cognitive representation of number Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, pp. 369 -375, 376 -381. 7
