Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your theories down! Language shaping thought is hogwash!

This is the argument made by linguist John McWhorter in his book The Language Hoax: Why the world looks the same in any language. It is counter to last week’s post on linguist Benjamin Whorf’s theories that language influences thought (linguistic relativity), or even stronger, that language determines thought (linguistic determinism).

McWhorter debunks both of Whorf’s theories and suggests that simple chance is the reason some languages develop more words for concepts than others. He also argues that comparing the number of terms a language uses or does not use, can lead to judgments of which language is superior, which leads to judgments of which population, culture, or way of thinking is deficient, a path that is dangerous.

Whorf incorrectly theorized the Inuit people, who live in the Arctic, have many more words for snow. He argues that snow is so important to their life, that their language evolved to have many more snow terms and that they would therefore think differently about snow than other cultures. This has been debunked once linguists properly translated the Inuit language. It ends up that both Inuit and English have about 50 terms for snow and ice. Here are some you likely don’t know:

• Graupel: Snow pellets or soft hail.
• Hoarfrost: Frost that forms in spiky patterns.
• Snirt: Snow mixed with dirt.

McWhorter thinks that chance, or “serendipity,” is the reason some languages have more or fewer terms for concepts such as colors, numbers, and plurals. When a language has a specific word for a concept, it may make grasping the concept easier, but other languages can successfully explain the concept. For example, the Japanese word for books that are acquired but not yet read is tsundoku (積ん読). In English, I use seven words, my to-be-read (TBR) pile of books, so not as elegant but you get the point!

By focusing on differences, Whorf’s theories can eclipse the reality that humans thought capabilities are equal worldwide. Focusing on how much we all think alike is the better frame of reference!

Bye-bye big, bad Whorf!

Read more:

McWhorter, J. H. (2014). The Language Hoax: Why the world looks the same in any language. Oxford University Press.

Lucas, M. “John McWhorter: The Language Hoax: Why the World Looks the Same in Any Language.” Soc 52, 292–294 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-015-9901-7.

Farmers’ Almanac. (2021, January 11). How many words for snow are there? Farmers’ Almanac. https://www.farmersalmanac.com/how-many-words-snow.