Post on 05-Jan-2016
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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.
1
Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, pp. 365, 370.
Whorf Hypothesis
Testing the Whorf Hypothesis "Attempts to test the hypothesis that differences in
language determine differences in thinking must, at the outset, define the 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)"
2
Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, pp. 369-370.
Evidence for the Whorf Hypothesis
Lexical Evidence
Color terms
Lexical categories: typicality and familiarity
Number terms: counting and naming
3
Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, pp. 369-375.
1 2 3 4 5 6 black white
red yellow green
blue brown
purple pink
orange gray
4
Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, p. 371.
Hierarchy of Color Terms
Chinese English
1-10 arbitrary arbitrary
11-19 regular not regulartransparent not transparent
20, 30… regular consistent
transparent not transparent
5
Based on Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, p. 374-375.
Characteristics of Number Names -1
Western16 8 24 x 3 x 7 x 4
English wordsseventeen four twenty-onethree nine two
Roman numeralsXVI VIII XXII
V IX III
Chinese十八 九 二十三四 六 三 6
Multiply these numbers:
Lexical EvidenceColor terms Lexical categories: typicality and familiarity Number terms: counting and naming
Grammatical Influence on Cognition Form perception Counterfactual reasoning
Cognitive representation of number
7
Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, pp. 369-375, 376-381.
Evidence for the Whorf Hypothesis