Benjamin Whorf

Benjamin Whorf’s Contribution to Psychology

Benjamin Lee Whorf was an American linguist and chemical engineer who presented ideas about how language shapes our worldview and culture. He is known for his theory of linguistic relativity, or the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which he conceptualized with his mentor, Edward Sapir.

Fig. 1 - Benjamin Whorf, StudySmarter Original

With his controversial yet influential views on language and perception, Benjamin Lee Whorf broadened psychology’s understanding of to what extent language affects how we think. His linguistics expertise drew attention and generated more psychological research on language, cognition, and culture.

He also had several publications and articles on linguistics, which are found in the book Language, Thought, and Reality (1956) and MIT’s Technology Review.

Benjamin Whorf: Language

Growing up, Benjamin Whorf had an insatiable curiosity. Benjamin Lee, being both religious and with a strong drive for intellectual pursuits, began with an interest in language, particularly in Biblical texts under the influence of Antoine Fabre d’Olivet.

In 1918, he earned a degree in chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Afterwards, Benjamin joined the Hartford Fire Insurance Company as a fire protection engineer. While he flourished in his career at Hartford, Benjamin Lee continued his pursuit of language and linguistics.

Following this pursuit, Benjamin Lee had an even more profound interest in linguistics after discovering a library in Hartford filled with anthropological literature, drawing his attention to Native American language and culture. He also educated himself in the languages of the historic Mayan and Aztec civilizations.

Fig. 3 - Edward Sapir, commons.wikimedia.org

Benjamin Lee was motivated to share his ideas with other academics through correspondence in the late 1920s, and through this, he was able to draw attention to his ideas on linguistics. Soon after, Benjamin received funding from the Social Science Research Council, enabling him to travel to Mexico in 1930 and continue his study of the Mayan and Aztec languages.

Benjamin Whorf and Edward Sapir

One year later, Benjamin Whorf entered Yale University to study linguistics with Edward Sapir, a linguistic expert and Yale anthropology professor. He also encouraged him to seek further knowledge in linguistics that would later shape his ideas, such as his research on the Hopi language in 1932, even learning the language from a New York City-based Hopi speaker.

With Benjamin’s tireless efforts and encouragement from Sapir, he could regroup the ideas of those who came before him and develop his language concepts. Though the idea that language reveals reality was not entirely his, Benjamin Lee was capable of elaborating upon this insight.

Benjamin also believed that language is crucial in our communication, as language is our framework for forming ideas and how we can express those ideas to others. Language gives meaning to our thoughts and expressions. He saw language as a complex system strongly connected to our behavior and culture. According to Benjamin, we use language as it deems fit our culture’s needs.

Benjamin Whorf: Theory

Benjamin Whorf's encounter with Edward Sapir was shown to be an important part of his linguistic pursuit. Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf shared an appreciation of language and recognized its importance to humanity.

Benjamin Lee Whorf’s hypothesis, together with Edward Sapir, is called the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis or Whorfian theory, which holds that our thoughts and perception depend on the language we speak. According to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, we all converse with ourselves in the language we acquire growing up. Through the language we use, we develop beliefs about the world and ourselves, from which our culture arises. In other words, language expresses the culture, which in turn facilitates behavior.

Benjamin Lee and Sapir believed that our differences in how we see the world is traced back to the differences in our language. Our language predisposes us to interpret information that also reflects our culture.

Hopi people,commons.wikimedia.org

Benjamin Whorf: Linguistic Relativity

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis explored the connection between language and thinking, from which two concepts have emerged, namely linguistic determinism and linguistic relativity.

In linguistic determinism, people’s ways of seeing and comprehending the world are almost entirely determined by their language. On the other hand, linguistic relativity states that how we use language affects how we think.

Benjamin Lee saw these differing perceptions as contributing to miscommunication resulting in many human conflicts, thus his push for linguistic relativity to understand people’s language habits. Additionally, he saw the importance of language development, which can significantly impact our understanding and communication.

Critics of the Work of Benjamin Whorf

Sapir and Benjamin Lee’s popularization of their Sapir-Whorf hypothesis also drew controversy and criticism from archaeology, anthropology, philosophy, and psychology experts. Several ideas from this hypothesis came under attack, such as the idea that our vocabulary limits us from understanding certain concepts.

What if there are no English words for joy or happiness? According to this hypothesis, an English speaker wouldn’t be able to understand joy or happiness. Critics point out that people are just as capable of comprehending this emotion, even without its equivalent in English.

Despite the criticisms, experts in various fields still acknowledge, to a degree, that language influences thought. From a cognitive perspective, the cognitive models of today reflect, to a certain extent, the idea of linguistic relativity, which holds that cultural differences in linguistic features (e.g., vocabulary, word arrangement, meaning, and context) shape our thoughts. In many respects, language is often a guide to thought.

Benjamin Lee Whorf: Quotes

Let's conclude with a few Benjamin Lee Whorf Quotes: