Linguistics The Whorf hypothesis

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1、LinguisticsTheWhorfHypothesisBriefContentsTheWhorfhypothesis:IntroductionSomeWhorfianExamples:LexicalandgrammaticalexamplesConclusion:TheWhorfHypothesisWhorf’sDualcareerBenjaminLeeWhorfreceivedhisdegreeB.L.WhorfinchemicalengineeringfromM.I.T.and(1897-1941)workedthroughouthisli

2、feforaninsurancecompanyasafire-preventionengineer.Yethewasself-taughtinlinguisticsthenstudiedAmericanIndianlinguisticsunderSapiratYaleUniversity.Whorfoftensaidthathisdualcareeractuallyaidedratherthanhinderedhisscholarlycareer.Sapir-WhorfHypothesisSapir(1921)hadearliersuggestedt

3、hishypothesis,thenWhorfdevelopedthisinaEdwardSapirseriesofarticlesfrom1925to1941.Soitis(1884-1939)alsocalledtheSapir-Whorfhypothesis.UndertheeditorshipofJohnB.Carroll,manyofWhorf'smostimportantessayswerecollectedinLanguage,Thought,andReality,publishedin1956bytheM.I.T.Press.TheW

4、horfhypothesisLanguageshapesthoughtpatternsLinguisticdeterminism:Languagesdeterminenonlinguisticcognitiveprocesses.Thatis,learningalanguagechangesthewayapersonthinks.Linguisticrelativity:Theresultingcognitiveprocessesvaryfromlanguagetolanguage.Thus,speakersofdifferentlanguages

5、aresaidtothinkindifferentways.LexicalexamplesDifferentiation:Wehavethesamewordforfallingsnow,snowontheground,snowpackedhardlikeice,slushysnow,wind-drivenflyingsnow-whateverthesituationmaybe.ToanEskimo,thisall-inclusivewordwouldbealmostunthinkable;hewouldsaythatfallingsnow,slus

6、hysnow,andsoon,aresensuouslyandoperationallydifferent,differentthingstocontendwith;heusesdifferentwordsforthemandforotherkindsofsnow.(Carroll,1956)LexicalexamplesPsychologicalcausesoffires:Aroundastorageofwhatarecalled“gasolinedrums,”behaviorwilltendtoacertaintype,thatis,great

7、carewillbeexercised;whilearoundastorageofwhatarecalled“emptygasolinedrums,”itwilltendtobedifferent-careless,withlittlerepressionofsmokingoroftossingcigarettestubsabout.Yetthe“empty”drumsareperhapsthemostdangerous,sincetheycontainexplosivevapor.Physicallythesituationishazardous,

8、butthelinguisticanalysisaccordingtoregularanalogymuste