1) Linguistic determinism: Language determines / governs / affects non-linguistic cognitive processes [and behavior].

[STRONG and WEAK versions]

2) Linguistic relativity: Cognitive processes are different for different languages.

OR People who speak different languages see the world differently.

1

Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, pp. 365, 370.

Whorf Hypothesis

Testing the Whorf Hypothesis "Attempts to test the hypothesis that differences in

language determine differences in thinking must, at the outset, define the three key terms."

1) "differences in language" lexical or grammatical

2) "differences in thinking" "habitual mode of thought"

3) "languages 'determine' thought" "Languages differ not so much as to what can be said in them, but rather as to what is relatively easy to say' ([Hockett, 1954:] 122)"

2

Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, pp. 369-370.

Evidence for the Whorf Hypothesis

Lexical Evidence

Color terms

Lexical categories: typicality and familiarity

Number terms: counting and naming

3

Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, pp. 369-375.

1 2 3 4 5 6 black white

red yellow green

blue brown

purple pink

orange gray

4

Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, p. 371.

Hierarchy of Color Terms

Chinese English

1-10 arbitrary arbitrary

11-19 regular not regulartransparent not transparent

20, 30… regular consistent

transparent not transparent

5

Based on Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, p. 374-375.

Characteristics of Number Names -1

Western16 8 24 x 3 x 7 x 4

English wordsseventeen four twenty-onethree nine two

Roman numeralsXVI VIII XXII

V IX III

Chinese十八 九 二十三四 六 三 6

Multiply these numbers:

Lexical EvidenceColor terms Lexical categories: typicality and familiarity Number terms: counting and naming

Grammatical Influence on Cognition Form perception Counterfactual reasoning

Cognitive representation of number

7

Carroll, David W. 1999. Psychology of Language, third edition. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, pp. 369-375, 376-381.

Evidence for the Whorf Hypothesis