Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

I find language to be quite a fascinating topic. Most people, myself included, do not comprehend the implications that language has on our experiences and perceptions. The question that is often asked in regards to language is whether or not language can shape, influence, or so far as to say create thought? The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis was a theory presented first by Edward Sapir and later expanded by his student Benjamin Whorf, and is one of many ideas that address this question.

The view presented by Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis represents weak, linguistic determinism. That is to say, thought is influenced and affected by language. On the otherhand, strong linguistic determinism goes so far as to say that thought is language. The following quote by Sapir gives a better indication of this view.

"Human beings do not live in the objective world alone, nor alone in the world of social activity as ordinarily understood, but are very much at the mercy of the particular language which has become the medium of expression for their society. It is quite an illusion to imagine that one adjusts to reality essentially without the use of language and that language is merely an incidental means of solving specific problems of communication or reflection. The fact of the matter is that the 'real world' is to a large extent unconsciously built upon the language habits of the group. No two languages are ever sufficiently similar to be considered as representing the same social reality. The worlds in which different societies live are distinct worlds, not merely the same world with different labels attached... We see and hear and otherwise experience very largely as we do because the language habits of our community predispose certain choices of interpretation. (Sapir, 1958 [1929], p. 69)"

I've personally always wondered if people who spoke their native language perceived the world differently then I do. Often when I asked this question I got strange looks from people, I assume who were a bit unsure of what I was trying to indicate. This also holds a bit of similarity to my thoughts concerning the perception of sensations. That is to say, do two people perceive the color blue in the same way. People can agree on what the color blue is, but is the visual sensation that the color blue causes the same for each person?

I'm recently become fascinated by Sanskrit, once the primary language in India and the liturgical language of Hinduism. Known as the "refined language", Sanskrit grammer is highly regular and has often been discussed for use in the computer industry. The vast amount of literature that is in Sanskrit is quite remarkable as well. The language is also very well-known for its poetic images. Listen to some examples of Shanti Shanti here, a Sanskrit Rock group here in America. The value and richness of the Sanskrit language is not to be underestimated.

I had taken a different direction in this post then I originally intended to. With the current schedule I have been dealing with its been hard to write and I had lost some of my thoughts. Here are some topics I'll be discussing in the next week or so to give you an idea of what to expect.

Next Weeks Topics:

• DMT and Psychedelic Visions
• Coast to Coast Live's discussion with Simon and the Necronomicon
• Possibly more on Sanskrit
• Commentary on Spiritual Art