Whorfian hypothesis

American

[hwawr-fee-uhn, hwohr-, wawr-, wohr-] / ˈʰwɔr fi ən, ˈʰwoʊr-, ˈwɔr-, ˈwoʊr- /

noun

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.

Etymology

Origin of Whorfian hypothesis

First recorded in 1960–65; Whorf + -ian

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It is rooted in the Whorfian hypothesis that language and thought are connected, and takes it to the extreme that language change can be engineered to influence thought.

From Scientific American

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023