There are two differing strands of the hypothesis, “linguistic determinism” and “linguistic influence.” The former refers to the idea that a person’s language “determines,” or either restricts or enables their ideation. In other words, people who speak different languages see the world differently, based on the language they use to describe it. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis posits that language either determines or influences one’s thought.
Myths and unanswered questions aside, we do know the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis poses some engaging questions about the languages we speak and the way we perceive reality. Although both Whorf and Sapir were at least fair-weather proponents of the idea that was eventually named after them, it’s hard to pinpoint the precise position each man took on the issue.
There are disagreements about each of the respective linguists’ “true” theories on the matter, too. Benjamin Lee Whorf and Edward Sapir were both well-known 20th century linguists, but they never actually published a work together on their eponymous “hypothesis.”
It’s not only the theory itself that has been criticized, but also its name. The theory of linguistic relativity, often referred to as the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, has garnered controversy since its origins in the early 20th century, igniting both arguments and interest among prominent linguists. So would say a dedicated Whorfian, arguing that the language we speak determines how we see the world and either restricts or bolsters our ability to understand it. This article was originally published in April 2017 and has been updated.
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