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Benjamin Lee Whorf (/ hw ɔːr f /; April 24, 1897 – July 26, 1941) was an American linguist and fire prevention engineer best known for proposing the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis. He believed that the structures of different languages shape how their speakers perceive and conceptualize the world.
Apr 20, 2024 · Benjamin Lee Whorf (born April 24, 1897, Winthrop, Mass., U.S.—died July 26, 1941, Wethersfield, Conn.) was a U.S. linguist noted for his hypotheses regarding the relation of language to thinking and cognition and for his studies of Hebrew and Hebrew ideas, of Mexican and Mayan languages and dialects, and of the Hopi language. Under the ...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
A classic paper by the linguist who proposed the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, that language shapes thought and culture. Whorf argues that natural logic, the system of common sense, is based on the assumption that language is independent of thought and reality.
Learn about Whorf's life, work, and contributions to linguistics, especially his theory of linguistic relativity. Find his publications on Native American languages, Maya writing, and more.
The term “Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis” was coined by Harry Hoijer in his contribution (Hoijer 1954) to a conference on the work of Benjamin Lee Whorf in 1953. But anyone looking in Hoijer’s paper for a clear statement of the hypothesis will look in vain.
Benjamin Lee Whorf (April 24, 1897 – July 26, 1941) was an American linguist, anthropologist, and chemical engineer. Although he never took an academic appointment, his work greatly influenced studies of language, culture, and thinking.
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Sapir's student, Benjamin Lee Whorf, came to be considered as the primary proponent as a result of his published observations of how he perceived linguistic differences to have consequences for human cognition and behavior.
