Language, Thought and Reality: Selected Writings (M.I.T. Press Paperback Series): Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf - Softcover

Whorf

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0262730065 ISBN 13: 9780262730068

Publisher: MIT Press, 1956

Synopsis

The pioneering linguist Benjamin Whorf (1897--1941) grasped the relationship between human language and human thinking: how language can shape our innermost thoughts. His basic thesis is that our perception of the world and our ways of thinking about it are deeply influenced by the structure of the languages we speak. The writings collected in this volume include important papers on the Maya, Hopi, and Shawnee languages as well as more general reflections on language and meaning.

About this title

Review:

An essay showing why Hopi is superior to English as a scientific language, a criticism of Basic English as Complex English, and an account of the semantics of fire prevention are not only readable but delightful. The New Yorker

About the Author:

Benjamin Lee Whorf, originally trained as a chemical engineer, began his work in linguistics in the 1920s and became well known for his studies of the Hopi language. He studied with the famous linguist Edward Sapir at Yale University, formulating with him the Sapir--Whorf Hypothesis of linguistic relativity.

About this edition

• Publisher: MIT Press
• Publication date: 1956
• ISBN 10: 0262730065
• ISBN 13: 9780262730068
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 278