Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
[ suh-peer-hwawrf, -hwohrf, -wawrf, -wohrf ]
noun
a theory developed by Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf that states that the structure of a language determines or greatly influences the modes of thought and behavior characteristic of the culture in which it is spoken.
Origin of Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
1First recorded in 1950–55
- Also called Whorfian hypothesis.
Words Nearby Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
noun
the theory that human languages determine the structure of the real world as perceived by human beings, rather than vice versa, and that this structure is different and incommensurable from one language to another
Origin of Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
1named after Edward Sapir (1884–1939), US anthropologist and linguist, and Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897–1943), US linguist
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse