2 ms·

I think the core example for sapir-whorf is an american language that had no word for blue. I love these linguistic studies beyond all reason but also take the

I think the core example for sapir-whorf is an american language that had no word for blue. I love these linguistic studies beyond all reason but also take them with a grain of salt; Julian Jaynes (origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind) based his whole argument on homer's greek. So did the Singer of Tales; neither of these are what you'd call prime scholarship.

woodandsteel 11y ago
John McWhorter's book <i>The Language Hoax</i> explains the linguistic researchers have found that the sapir-whorf hypothesis is just wrong.
- dietrichepp 11y ago
  "Just wrong" is a bit harsh, the modern argument seems to fall along the lines of "to what extent is the hypothesis true/false?"