PhilSci Archive

Through the Window of Language: Assessing the Influence of Language Diversity on Thought

Lucy , John A (2005) Through the Window of Language: Assessing the Influence of Language Diversity on Thought. THEORIA. An International Journal for Theory, History and Foundations of Science, 20 (3). pp. 299-309. ISSN 2171-679X

[img]
Preview
 PDF
564-665-1-PB.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives.
Download (203kB)

Abstract

The way we understand language diversity, how languages differ in representing reality, affects our approach to understanding linguistic relativity, how that diversity affects thought. Historically, researchers divided over whether the diverse representations of reality across languages were natural or conventional, but all tacitly assumed an optimal fit between language and reality. Twentieth century anthropological linguists interested in linguistic relativity have questioned this assumption and sought to characterize “reality” with-out it by using domain- or structure-centered approaches. Arguments are presented favoring structure-centered approaches, along with a case illustration. A concluding discussion emphasizes the broader significance of language diversity in human development.

Export/Citation: EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL
Social Networking:
Share |
Item Type: Published Article or Volume
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Lucy , John Ajohnlucy@uchicago.edu
Additional Information: ISSN: 0495-4548 (print)
Keywords: language and thought, Sapir-Whorf, linguistic relativity, language development, number marking
Depositing User: Users 15304 not found.
Date Deposited: 11 Mar 2014 17:32
Last Modified: 11 Mar 2014 17:32
Item ID: 10472
Journal or Publication Title: THEORIA. An International Journal for Theory, History and Foundations of Science
Publisher: Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea / Universidad del País Vasco
Official URL: http://www.ehu.es/ojs/index.php/THEORIA/article/vi...
DOI or Unique Handle: 10.1387/theoria.564
Date: September 2005
Page Range: pp. 299-309
Volume: 20
Number: 3
ISSN: 2171-679X
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/10472

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Altmetric.com

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item