Thought and Language

Jennifer Jurado
Group 15 A

1. Identify the passages related to the linguistic relativity hypothesis (Saphir-Whorf

hypothesis)

The Sapir–Whorf hypothesis, also known as the linguistic relativity hypothesis, refers to the
proposal that the particular language one speaks influences the way one thinks about reality.
Linguistic relativity stands in close relation to semiotic-level concerns with the general
relation of language and thought, and to discourse-level concerns with how patterns of
language use in cultural context can affect thought.

In both articles this hypothesis is reflected in numerous paragraphs. The first article talks
about the different conceptions that we have of some words in the West versus the East,
specifically with China. In the second article it is said that we can all feel the same emotions
but each language has organized its own affective world in a particular way, specifically with
words in Catalan that are in disuse but that describe different feelings.

Some passages related to this linguistic relativity hypothesis from the articles are:

- “Podem sentir les mateixes emocions pero cada llengua ha organitzat de manera
particular el seu món afectiu”. Segon article
- “Decir la felicidad según Confucio es una gilipollez, porque la felicidad es un
concepto únicamente griego, clásico, occidental. En chino simplemente no existe, la
felicidad de ese librito es una etiqueta banal para una sopilla de tonterías
autoindulgentes. Primer article
- “Y saber que los chinos no la tenían me ayudó a entender qué es verdad para
nosotros. Los chinos en cambio tienen sabiduría. Así que su filosofía no es la historia
de la búsqueda de la verdad, como la nuestra; sino que, en todo caso, es una
historia de los sabios; algo muy diferente”. Primer article
- “L’ull humà és capaç de veure els mateixos colors -potser dos milions de variacions-
i, tanmateix, el lèxic dels colors varia molt d’unes llengües a les altres”. Algunes
tribus africanes només tenen dues paraules per designar-los. Alguna cosa semblant
a “clar” i “fosc”. Segon article

2. Write a short article as a response for one or both of the articles.

 Is it possible that language changes our way of interpreting reality?

In François Jullien's article called “Decir ‘felicidad según Confucio’ es una gilipollez” and in
the article by José Antonio Marina called “Sentiments catalans” we can see reflected what
Saphir Whorf's hypothesis wants to transmit. The idea that the particular language one
speaks influences the way one thinks about reality. They both express the same idea but
exemplify it in different ways.

Regarding the first article we can understand how two different cultures, of different
languages, can differ in terms of concepts that we believe are very necessary for a society to
function. In this case it is about the comparison between our culture (Western) and the
Eastern or Asian culture, specifically in China. The author makes it very clear that concepts
as important to our culture as: happiness, beauty, God, freedom ... are not at all relevant to
the language and to the Chinese reality. They are able to understand our realities and what
these concepts mean but they continue to use their own words that differ from these, thus
allowing them to have another philosophy of life, less colonialist and imperialist and wiser
and more indifferent.

On the other hand, the author of the second article tries to elaborate a lexicon of Catalan
feelings. It affirms that every human being can feel all emotions but in practice each
language has made a peculiar organization of its affective world. For example the word
“capteniment” which means to act with a head, and which is at the same time synonymous
with and opposite to the Castilian "cordura", which means sanity of the heart. With all this we
can understand that something as basic as language is capable of changing how we
interpret reality. And not only that, but it is also capable of changing our philosophy of life,
our objectives as a society, our way of living and our way of dreaming.

A good example of this hypothesis is the Hopi language. It has one word to describe three
different things. The same word implies an insect, an aviator, and an airplane. Hence, if a
Hopi speaker witnesses an insect flying near an aviator, while looking at an airplane, she
would claim to have seen the same thing (word) thrice, whereas an English speaker would
describe it as seeing three different things.
With the current trend of people learning and excelling at languages that are not natively
spoken by them, the concept of bilingualism has emerged. Since bilingualists can perceive
and express experiences in native and foreign languages, the possibility of a unique
perspective emerges and is interesting to study from a cognitive point of view.
The proposal of linguistic relativity forms part of the general question of how language
affects thinking. Potential impacts can be divided into three types or levels (Lucy 1996). The
first level involves how speaking any natural language affects thinking. The question is
whether having symbolic code will change thinking. If so, we can talk about the semiotic
relativity of the thoughts of other species that lack this code. The second or structural level
involves how speaking one or more specific natural languages ​(such as Hopi and English)
affects thinking. The question is whether the completely different morpho-syntactic
configuration of meaning will affect the thinking about reality. If so, we can talk about the
relativity of thought structure relative to speakers of different languages. The third or
functional level concerns whether using language in a specific way (e.g., educated) affects
thinking. The question is whether discursive practice influences thinking by adjusting
structural influence or directly influencing the interpretation of the interactive context. If so,
we can talk about the functional relativity of the thoughts of speakers in different languages.

Like all the hypotheses that currently exist, not only do they have people who corroborate
them and who agree, there are also multiple criticisms of possible flaws in the theory or
holes that remain unclear. Some of these criticisms are that linguistic philosophers like Eric
Lenneberg, Noam Chomsky, and Steven Pinker have criticized the Whorfian hypothesis and
do not accept most of the inferences about language and behavior put forth by Whorf. They
claim that his conclusions are speculative since they are based on anecdotal evidence and
not on results of empirical studies.

Another criticism that this hypothesis faces is the problem of translatability. According to his
theories, every language is unique in its description of reality. This would make translation of
one language into another practically impossible. However, languages are regularly
translated into each other every day, and hence challenges Whorf’s inference.

From my point of view, Sapir Whorf's Hypothesis is very valid and the idea that the language
you speak affects the way that you think sounds sort of obvious, one of those things you just
assume. Speak French all day and you'll start thinking stylishly; speak Swedish all the time
and start feeling really good about taxation. But what exactly is the relationship between
what goes on in your head and the words you use? If, say, the Swedish didn't have a word
for taxation (they do; it's beskattning), would they be able to conceive of it? These are the
kinds of questions that come to mind when talking about the linguistic relativity hypothesis.
Bibliography

A. Lucy, J. (1997). LINGUISTIC RELATIVITY. Annual Reviews Inc.

https://cslc.nd.edu/assets/142525/lucy_linguistic_relativity.pdf

Amiguet, L. (2011, 7 abril). «Decir “la felicidad según Confucio” es una gilipollez». La

Vanguardia.

https://www.lavanguardia.com/lacontra/20110407/54137779327/decir-la-felicidad-segun-conf

ucio-es-una-gilipollez.html

M. (2014, 19 noviembre). Understanding Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis with Examples.

Science Struck. https://sciencestruck.com/linguistic-relativity-hypothesis

Sentimientos Catalanes •. (2021, 8 septiembre). José Antonio Marina.

https://www.joseantoniomarina.net/articulos-en-prensa/sentimientos-catalanes/