首页
登录
职称英语
Linguists have understood for decades that language and thought are closely
Linguists have understood for decades that language and thought are closely
游客
2025-05-06
41
管理
问题
Linguists have understood for decades that language and thought are closely related. Humans construct reality using thought and express these thoughts through the use of language. Edward Sapir and his student Benjamin Whorl are credited with developing the most relevant explanation outlining the relationship between thought and language, the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. The hypothesis consists of two parts, linguistic relativity and linguistic determinism. Supporters of linguistic relativity assume that culture is shaped by language. Terwilliger defines linguistic determinism as the process by which "the functions of one’s mind are determined by the nature of the language which one speaks." In simpler terms, the thoughts that we construct are based upon the language that we speak and the words that we use. In its strongest sense, linguistic determinism can be interpreted as meaning that language determines thought. In its weakest sense, language partially influences thought. Whorl was careful to avoid authoritative statements which would permanently commit him to particular position.
Because of the broad nature of his statements, it is difficult to distinguish exactly to what extent Whorf believes that language determines thought. Heated debate among modern linguists demonstrates that disagreement exists about the accuracy and correctness of Whorf’s studies and of the actual level of influence of language on thought processes.
The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis essentially consists of two distinct statements connecting the relation of thought and language. Whorf believes that humans may be able to think only about objects, processes, and conditions that have language associated with them. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis also explains the relationship between different languages (French, English, German, Chinese, and so on) and thought. Whorl demonstrated that culture is largely determined by language. Different cultures perceive the world in different ways. Culturally essential objects, conditions and processes usually are defined by a plethora of words, while things that cultures perceive as unimportant are usually assigned one or two words. Whorf developed this theory while studying the Hopi Indian tribe. Whorl was amazed that the Hopi language has no words for past, present, and future. The Hopi have only one word for flying objects. A dragonfly, an airplane, and a pilot are defined using the same word. Whorl questioned whether or not the Hopi view the world differently than western peoples. After further interpretation and analysis he concluded that the Hopi have a sense for the continuum of time despite having no words to specifically describe past, present, and future.
It is commonly believed that the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis possesses some truth, but the extent to which it is applicable to all situations is questioned. Linguists generally sup port a "strong" or a "weak" interpretation. Linguists who study the hypothesis tend to cite examples that support their beliefs but are unable or unwilling to refute the opposing arguments. Examples exist that strengthen the arguments of everyone who studies the hypothesis. Nobody has gained significant ground in proving or refuting the hypothesis because the definitions of Sapir and Whorl are very vague and incomplete, leaving room for a significant amount of interpretation. [br] Towards the hypothesis, the author’s attitude seems to be ______.
选项
A、supportive
B、objective
C、suspicious
D、critical
答案
B
解析
综观全文,我们仅从作者客观介绍Sapir-Whorf假设的相关段落获得了一些信息,并未发现作者是否对该假说持怀疑、批评或支持的观点。因此B项“objective客观的”为正确答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/4064140.html
相关试题推荐
Linguistshaveunderstoodfordecadesthatlanguageandthoughtareclosely
Linguistshaveunderstoodfordecadesthatlanguageandthoughtareclosely
Linguistshaveunderstoodfordecadesthatlanguageandthoughtareclosely
Wehadnowaytomeasuretheexactdistancewehadtraveled,butwethoughtitw
She______atthethoughtofpickingupthedeadanimal.A、whinedB、blenchedC、wr
______thattheearthwasflat?A、UsedittobethoughtB、Diditusedtobethoug
Peoplethought:Hey,eatacarpandyouwillbetakingin(what)itisthatgive
Whatisitthatbringsaboutsuchanintimateconnectionbetweenlanguagean
Whatisitthatbringsaboutsuchanintimateconnectionbetweenlanguagean
Ithoughtthemeetingwasgoingtobeawful,butitdidn’t______toobadly.A、tu
随机试题
[originaltext](Woman—AnnaMan—Jim)W:Jim,whathaveyouheardaboutthenew
[originaltext]W:WhatdoyouthinkofJohn?M:Well,comparedtoBill,heisge
Engineeringstudentsaresupposedtobeexamplesofpracticalityandrationa
建设美丽中国,核心就是要按照()要求,通过建设资源节约型、环境友好型社会,实现经
隧道竖井测量时,经竖井引入中线的测量可使用()等仪器。A、钢卷尺 B、皮尺
请根据以下内容回答1-5题:乙单位是实行国库集中支付的事业单位,经批准,乙单位的
为获得客户购(租)房需求信息,房地产经纪人应( )。A.剖析房地产市场行情
下列选项可以作为期权标的的有()。A.外汇 B.石油 C.黄金 D.大豆
期货公司应当按()缴纳期货投资者保障基金后续资金。A.月度 B.季度
建设单位拟修建一座造纸厂,为了尽量减少对环境的污染,应当采取的措施是()。A.污
最新回复
(
0
)