Does language shape thought?

One of the biggest questions linguists tackle is whether our individual languages affect how we experience the world. Let’s explore one side of the debate that agrees with the idea of language influencing thought, often called Whorfianism.

Although Benjamin Whorf graduated with a degree in chemical engineering in 1918 and worked most of his career in insurance, he became very involved in linguistics and anthropology. 

In the late 1930’s he researched the connections between language and how people think, creating a concept known as the Whorf theory of linguistics relativity. The theory basically states that a person’s native language has a direct impact on how they think about the world and how they behave.  For instance, some native languages don’t have a future tense so Whorf theorized this would make it hard for them to grasp the concept of next year. 

Another example was Guugu Yimithirr, an aboriginal tribe in Australia whose language only relies on cardinal directions (north, southeast, etc.) vs. relative descriptions. They might say “my friend is southwest” instead of “my friend is behind me.” I have a horrible sense of direction, so I would definitely need a GPS or compass to join this tribe!

The Whorf Hypothesis became very popular and influential in the 1940’s after Whorf’s death. But by the 1960’s it was widely dismissed as lacking proper research techniques, claiming causation that wasn’t supported with any strong data. Interesting theory but no empirical evidence. The linguistic world had turned on Whorf like a pack of wolves.

Like some other ideas in the earlier days of linguistics, it’s now getting more attention as a possible area where some of Whorf’s early theories are being re-examined. My bet is that we will find and prove more connections between our native language and how we think but that they are probably more nuanced than what Mr. Whorf posited.

Even so, that doesn’t mean we have to be afraid of the big, bad Whorf.

Read more:

Deutscher, Guy. “Does Your Language Shape How You Think?” The New York Times, August 26, 2010. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/magazine/29language-t.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&ref=todayspaper.

Bergman, Jerry. “Benjamin Lee Whorf: An Early Supporter of Creationism.” The Institute for Creation Research, 30 September 2011. Available at: https://www.icr.org/article/6391/.