Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

In linguistics, the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (SWH) states that there is a systematic relationship between the grammatical categories of the language a person speaks and how that person both understands the world and behaves in it. This controversial hypothesis is named after the linguist and anthropologist Edward Sapir and his colleague and student Benjamin Whorf.

External links

• Which comes first, language or thought?
• Language may shape human thought
• The Sapir-Whorf Hypothes - two basic principles: linguistic determinism and linguistic relativity.
• The Sapir-Whorf Hypothes in Quotes
• http://advocate.com/news_detail.asp?id=17177 An article that mentions a 10% difference in a poll depending on whether "gay and lesbian" or "homosexual" was used.