PROFESSOR0:

People possess the same physical organs for sensing the world: we have eyes for seeing, ears for hearing, noses for smelling. But does everyone really sense the world in exactly the same way? Two linguists, Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf, didn't think so. Sapir and Whorf believed that people's perception of the world depends very much on the language they speak. It's called the Sapir Whorf hypothesis.

People possess the same physical organs for sensing the world: we have eyes for seeing, ears for hearing, noses for smelling. But does everyone really sense the world in exactly the same way? Two linguists, Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf, didn't think so. Sapir and Whorf believed that people's perception of the world depends very much on the language they speak. It's called the Sapir Whorf hypothesis.
PROFESSOR1:

They believed that language is essentially like a pair of eyeglasses, it influences the way which we 'see'' the world. Think about the bands of a rainbow. How many colors do you see? Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. I see six colors.

They believed that language is essentially like a pair of eyeglasses, it influences the way which we 'see' the world. Think about the bands of a rainbow. How many colors do you see? Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. I see six colors.
PROFESSOR2:

Is that all of them? Do you see any others? In many cultures, speakers of different languages might tell you there are more than six colors. Or they might tell you there are less! Two linguists went to Mexico to investigate this perception of color, comparing the difference between English speakers and the indigenous Tarahumara people in Mexico.

Is that all of them? Do you see any others? In many cultures, speakers of different languages might tell you there are more than six colors. Or they might tell you there are less! Two linguists went to Mexico to investigate this perception of color, comparing the difference between English speakers and the indigenous Tarahumara people in Mexico.
PROFESSOR3:

The Tarahumara use one word for the two words English uses for blue and green. They label blue and green as one color. If you give English speakers blue and green chips, they are more likely to separate the two colors, to separate them. The Tarahumara will push them together because they perceive them as very similar. So the Tarahumara would say that green and blue are not two separate colors of the rainbow, but rather one and the same.

The Tarahumara use one word for the two words English uses for blue and green. They label blue and green as one color. If you give English speakers blue and green chips, they are more likely to separate the two colors, to separate them. The Tarahumara will push them together because they perceive them as very similar. So the Tarahumara would say that green and blue are not two separate colors of the rainbow, but rather one and the same.
PROFESSOR4:

In fact, rainbows are actually a continuum of color; there are no actual stripes or bands yet people see the bands for which their language has color words. Another famous example demonstrates how language can be a reflection of concepts important to a particular culture. Americans and the British use only a few terms to describe snow: snow, sleet, freezing rain, and a few others. Eskimos, on the other hand, have many words to describe snow. Snow that is falling, snow on the ground, snow in blocks, and snow that makes wavy patterns - each are explained through the use of separate words.

In fact, rainbows are actually a continuum of color; there are no actual stripes or bands yet people see the bands for which their language has color words. Another famous example demonstrates how language can be a reflection of concepts important to a particular culture. Americans and the British use only a few terms to describe snow: snow, sleet, freezing rain, and a few others. Eskimos, on the other hand, have many words to describe snow. Snow that is falling, snow on the ground, snow in blocks, and snow that makes wavy patterns - each are explained through the use of separate words.
PROFESSOR5:

Snow is an important part of Eskimo life and its culture, thus it is necessary that Eskimo's have the vocabulary to specifically describe it. But does this mean that because a language doesn't have a word, the speakers of that language will not be able to understand the concept? Today, many linguists say that although the Sapir Whorf hypothesis is thought provoking and probably holds much truth, it cannot be totally accepted in its extreme form. Yes, language influences thought, but it doesn't determine what concepts we're able to think of. It influences how we perceive the world, but if we don't have a particular word in our language, it just takes more time and more words for us to describe that concept.

Snow is an important part of Eskimo life and its culture, thus it is necessary that Eskimo's have the vocabulary to specifically describe it. But does this mean that because a language doesn't have a word, the speakers of that language will not be able to understand the concept? Today, many linguists say that although the Sapir Whorf hypothesis is thought provoking and probably holds much truth, it cannot be totally accepted in its extreme form. Yes, language influences thought, but it doesn't determine what concepts we're able to think of. It influences how we perceive the world, but if we don't have a particular word in our language, it just takes more time and more words for us to describe that concept.
PROFESSOR6:

It is a problem of translation; not of our ability to be able to imagine the concept. I might not have a word for this kind of snow: But I can communicate the idea to you. It looks to me like shiny glimmering tree crystals melting delicately upon the branch. If a language doesn't have a particular word, it doesn't mean a person who speaks that language can't imagine the concept it's just a little trickier to do the translation.

It is a problem of translation; not of our ability to be able to imagine the concept. I might not have a word for this kind of snow: But I can communicate the idea to you. It looks to me like shiny glimmering tree crystals melting delicately upon the branch. If a language doesn't have a particular word, it doesn't mean a person who speaks that language can't imagine the concept it's just a little trickier to do the translation.