Yesterday, I wrote about an unfortunate incident concerning an indivdidual who labeled the speakers of a certain language “stupid.” Then, as I was reading An Introduction to Language by Fromkin, Rodman, and Hyams, I came across this hypothesis. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis attempts to link language and thought. In this hypothesis, it is stressed that the language we speak shapes our thoughts and perceptions of the world.

The linguist Edward Sapir’s student Benjamin Whorf stated:

The background linguistic system (in other words, the grammar) of each language is not merely the reproducing instrument for voicing ideas but rather is itself the shaper of ideas, the program and guide for the individual’s mental activity, for his analysis of impressions, for his synthesis of his mental stock in trade…We dissect nature along lines laid down by our native languages. (Fromkin, Rodman & Hyams 2007: 25)

There are variations on this hypothesis ranging from the strongest form (linguistic determinism) to the weaker form (linguistic relativism).

The textbook goes on to express that the hypothesis is “controversial” and that linguistic determinism is “false.” (Fromkin, Rodman & Hyams 2007: 27) In actuality, language may influence our cognition but it is DOES NOT shape who we are or define our intelligence level. The textbook validly states that “language itself is not sexist or racist, but people can be, and because of this, particular words take on negative meanings.” (Fromkin, Rodman & Hyams 2007: 28)

If language does not establish how we view the world, we are still left to contemplate how we use language to express our worldviews.