Skip to Main Content

Linguistic Relativity: An Essential Guide to Past Debates and Future Prospects

Online ISBN:
9780197799871
Print ISBN:
9780197799833
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

Linguistic Relativity: An Essential Guide to Past Debates and Future Prospects

Francis Jeffry Pelletier,
Francis Jeffry Pelletier

Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Computing Science

University of Alberta
,
Canada
Find on
Ryan M Nefdt
Ryan M Nefdt

Associate Professor of Philosophy

University of Cape Town
,
South Africa
Find on
Published online:
14 April 2025
Published in print:
2 June 2025
Online ISBN:
9780197799871
Print ISBN:
9780197799833
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

Does your language distinguish between dark and light blues? Do your verbs require a report on where and how you got your information? Can you easily talk about non-actual situations in your language? What does this mean for the way you see the world, if anything? Linguistic relativity, also known as Whorfianism by some, is actually a group of related positions that postulate that one’s native language generates some set of important directions or limitations on one’s cognition. In its extreme form, it even suggests that languages can create distinct (and possibly incompatible) worldviews. Recent cross-linguistic experiments on subtle grammatical distinctions between colour words or the presence of subjunctive conditionals have reignited the once furious debate on just how much our languages can shape the way we see the world. This book traces the development of the concept of linguistic relativity through the centuries, paying particular attention to Benjamin Whorf and the evidence for or against the various claims he made in this realm. We follow that with the application of linguistic relativity to modern attempts to verify it, as well as to certain social and intellectual endeavours that are prominent in the current philosophic, linguistic, and cognitive science literature.

Contents
Close
This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

Close

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

View Article Abstract & Purchase Options

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

Close