Benjamin Lee Whorf
1897 - 1941
5
Quotes
Biography
Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897-1941) was an American linguist known for his work on linguistic relativity, also known as the Whorf hypothesis. He studied the relationship between language, thought, and culture, suggesting that language shapes our perception of the world. Whorf's ideas have had a significant impact on the fields of linguistics, anthropology, and cognitive science.
Famous Quotes (5)
1
We dissect nature along lines laid down by our native languages.
2
Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about.
3
The world is presented in a kaleidoscopic flux of impressions which has to be organized by our minds - and this means largely by the linguistic systems in our minds.
4
Every language is a vast pattern-system, different from others, in which are culturally ordained the forms and categories by which the personality not only communicates, but also analyzes nature, notices or neglects types of relationship and phenomena, channels his reasoning, and builds the house of his consciousness.
5
We cut nature up, organize it into concepts, and ascribe significances as we do, largely because we are parties to an agreement to organize it in this way—an agreement that holds throughout our speech community and is codified in the patterns of our language.