Linguistic Relativity

Linguistic relativity is a somewhat scientific term for the ways that humans use language. This idea theorizes that language controls the thought processes of those who use it in certain powerful ways. This concept is used extensively in linguistics and related fields as part of examining the role of language in cognitive function.

Within the general concept of linguistic relativity, there are two main schools of thought. One is a version of relativity in which language is a dominant force on the ways that people perceive and think about the world at large. A different kind of relatively for linguistics posits less of a dominant impact by language on its users.

Although experts see linguistic relativity as going back to the nineteenth century, many see its real emergence in the twentieth century. Some refer to this principle as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, or Whorfianism, after the social scientists Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf. The scientific community has reacted in different ways to this work as the broad idea of linguistic relativity receives very different treatments from different scientists and linguists who study the impact of language.

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