SAPIR-WHORF HYPOTHESIS


Meaning of SAPIR-WHORF HYPOTHESIS in English

/seuh pear"hwawrf", -hwohrf", -wawrf", -wohrf"/

a theory developed by Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf that states that the structure of a language determines or greatly influences the modes of thought and behavior characteristic of the culture in which it is spoken. Also called Whorfian hypothesis .

[ 1950-55 ]

Random House Webster's Unabridged English dictionary.      Полный английский словарь Вебстер - Random House .