3 ms·
Words you use matter as well (Sapir-Whorf hypothesis).
by kornakiewicz 10y ago
Words you use matter as well (Sapir-Whorf hypothesis).
- colanderman 10y agoSapir-Whorf is about grammar, not individual words: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_relativity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_relativity "The principle of linguistic relativity holds that the structure of a language affects its speakers' world view or cognition." (emphasis mine)
- colorint 10y agoOf course, it's just as likely that the causality is the other way around, and language serves paradigm. That is, new ways of talking about things are devised as new things to talk about are found. The two situations will look nearly identical in situ. I'm more inclined to agree with pricechild and the "euphemism treadmill" hypothesis.
- hughdbrown 10y agoWhat do you think the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is? I don't see how it is remotely applicable in these circumstances. It's not about words or diction. It's about language as a broad, thought-influencing and -limiting tool. It's about what is thinkable to someone who uses a particular language.