linguistic relativity
Summary
Linguistic relativity (the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis) is the idea that the language a person speaks shapes how they perceive and think. The strong form, linguistic determinism, says language determines thought; the weak form, which has more support, says language influences thought.
Detail
Meaning: Linguistic relativity, also called the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, proposes that the vocabulary and grammar of a language shape how its speakers perceive, categorize, and remember the world. It has two versions. Linguistic determinism, the strong version, says language determines thought, so ideas without words would not be possible. The weak version says language influences thought without fixing it. Research mostly supports the weak version and counts against the strong one.
On the MCAT: A passage may describe speakers of a language with few color terms, or with extra words for shades of blue, and ask whether they sort or remember colors differently. Better performance tied to available vocabulary supports the weak version. Thought without language, such as problem solving by infants who cannot yet speak, argues against the strong version. Expect to match a finding to the version it supports.
Common confusion: Students reverse the direction. Linguistic relativity says language shapes thought. The view that thought comes first and drives language (associated with Piaget) is the opposite. Also, a language lacking a word for a concept does not mean its speakers cannot grasp that concept. Claiming that is the strong version, which the evidence does not back.
Sources
- Psychology (Myers)
- Psychology (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner)
Written for the MCAT and checked before it was published. For study reference only. Spotted an error? Let us know.