Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
[ suh-peer-hwawrf, -hwohrf, -wawrf, -wohrf ]
/ səˈpɪərˈʰwɔrf, -ˈʰwoʊrf, -ˈwɔrf, -ˈwoʊrf /
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.
Also called
Whorfian hypothesis.
Origin of Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
First recorded in 1950–55
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
Word Origin for Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
named after Edward
Sapir (1884–1939), US anthropologist and linguist, and Benjamin Lee
Whorf (1897–1943), US linguist