Encyclopedia, Difference between revisions of "Benjamin Whorf" - New World
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| − | '''Benjamin Lee Whorf''' ([[April 24]], [[1897]] – [[July 26]], [[1941]]) was an [[United States|American]] [[linguist]]. He is best known as one of the creators of the [[Sapir–Whorf hypothesis]]. | + | '''Benjamin Lee Whorf''' ([[April 24]], [[1897]] – [[July 26]], [[1941]]) was an [[United States|American]] [[linguist]], [[anthropologist]], and [[chemical engineer]]. He is best known as one of the creators of the [[Sapir–Whorf hypothesis]]. |
| − | == | + | ==Life== |
| − | + | Benjamin Lee Whorf was born on April 24, 1897 in Winthrop, Massachusetts. Whorf was the eldest of the three sons of Sarah Lee Whorf and Harry Church Whorf, a commercial artist. After high school, Whorf went on to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1918. | |
| − | In | + | In 1919 he became an Engineer for the Hartford Fire Insurance Company were he continued to work until 1941, the year of his death. He settled in Whethersfield, Connecticut where he would remain for the rest of his life and in 1920 he married Cecilia Inez Peckham. They had three children Raymond, Robert and Celia. |
| − | + | In 1931, cognizant of the tensions between religion and science, Whorf began studying linguistics at Yale University under the [[American]] [[linguist]] and [[anthropologist]] [[Edward Sapir]]. In 1936. Benjamin Whorf was appointed the Honorary Research Fellow in Anthropology at Yale University and in 1937 he received the Sterling Fellowship. He became a Lecturer in Anthropology at Yale University in 1937 and continued until 1938 at which point he began experiencing serious health problems. | |
| − | + | At the age of 44, in July of 1941, Whorf died of cancer in his home in Whethersfield, Connecticut. | |
| − | Some of Whorf's early work | + | ==Work== |
| + | Whorf's primary area of interest in linguistics was the study of [[Native American (Americas)|Native American]] languages, particularly those of Mesoamerica. He became renowned for his research of the [[Hopi language]] and for a theory he called the Principle of Linguistic Relativity. He disseminated his ideas not only by publishing numerous technical articles, but also by producing writings that were accessible to lay readers and by giving captivating, well-received lectures. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Some of Whorf's early work on linguistic theory was inspired by the reports he wrote on insurance losses, where misunderstanding resulted from different understandings of a situation. In one famous incident, an employee who was not a [[native speaker]] of English had placed drums of liquid near a heater, believing that as a 'flammable' liquid would burn then a 'highly inflammable' one would not. His papers and lectures featured examples from both his insurance work and his fieldwork with Hopi and other American languages. | ||
The [[Sapir-Whorf hypothesis]] primarily dealt with the way that language affects thought. Also sometimes called the Whorfian hypothesis (much to Whorf's disapproval) this theory claims that the language a person speaks (independent of the [[culture]] in which he or she resides) affects the way that he or she thinks, meaning that the structure of the language itself affects [[cognition]]. The [[Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis]] was a term created by opponents of his work; neither did Whorf use the term "linguistic relativity." | The [[Sapir-Whorf hypothesis]] primarily dealt with the way that language affects thought. Also sometimes called the Whorfian hypothesis (much to Whorf's disapproval) this theory claims that the language a person speaks (independent of the [[culture]] in which he or she resides) affects the way that he or she thinks, meaning that the structure of the language itself affects [[cognition]]. The [[Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis]] was a term created by opponents of his work; neither did Whorf use the term "linguistic relativity." | ||
| Line 23: | Line 26: | ||
Less well known, but important, are his contributions to the study of the [[Nahuatl]] and [[Mayan languages|Maya]] languages. He claimed that Nahuatl was an [[oligosynthetic language]] (a claim that would be brought up again some twenty years later by [[Morris Swadesh]], another controversial American linguist). Regarding Maya, he focused on the linguistic nature of the Mayan writing, claiming that it was syllabic to some degree (a claim that has been proven right by [[Schele|Linda Scheele]] ''et al.'' over the past decade). | Less well known, but important, are his contributions to the study of the [[Nahuatl]] and [[Mayan languages|Maya]] languages. He claimed that Nahuatl was an [[oligosynthetic language]] (a claim that would be brought up again some twenty years later by [[Morris Swadesh]], another controversial American linguist). Regarding Maya, he focused on the linguistic nature of the Mayan writing, claiming that it was syllabic to some degree (a claim that has been proven right by [[Schele|Linda Scheele]] ''et al.'' over the past decade). | ||
| − | Whorf | + | ==Legacy== |
| + | The Majority of Benjamin Whorf's work was published posthumously, his widely known collection of work entitled "Language, Thought and Reality" did not surface until 1956 when it was published by MIT Press. Today. there are writings that Whorf left behind that have not been published. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Benjamin Whorf's contribution to the field of [[ethnolinguistics]], despite the fact that he never began an official carrer in linguistics, has had a rather influential impact on present day theory. In truth, it is widely accepted by Ethnolinguists that culture affects language but it is controverisal as to whether or not language affects culture. However, the [[Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis]] possesses the authoriy of valid consideration. Whorf's scholarly career is alluring because of his ability to simultaneously pursue both linguistics and chemical engineering. It is believed that Whorf worked full-time as a chemical engineer at the Hartford Fire Insurance Company and his scholarly contribution rivals that of a full-time research professor. He was offered numerous scholarly reserach positions but he declined them amd asserted that his career in chemical engineering offered him a more comfortable living and a greater freedom for his academic and intellectual pursuits. | ||
| − | == | + | ==Publications== |
*Carroll, John B. 1964. ''Language, Thought, and Reality: Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf''. The MIT Press. ISBN 0262730065 | *Carroll, John B. 1964. ''Language, Thought, and Reality: Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf''. The MIT Press. ISBN 0262730065 | ||
*Whorf, Benjamin Lee. 1933. ''The Phonetic Value of Certain Characters in Maya Writing''. Periodicals Service Co. ISBN 0527012297 | *Whorf, Benjamin Lee. 1933. ''The Phonetic Value of Certain Characters in Maya Writing''. Periodicals Service Co. ISBN 0527012297 | ||
| Line 31: | Line 37: | ||
*Whorf, Benjamin Lee. 1970. (originally published 1942). ''Maya Hieroglyphs: An Extract from the Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution for 1941''. Seattle; Shorey Book Store. ISBN 0846601222 | *Whorf, Benjamin Lee. 1970. (originally published 1942). ''Maya Hieroglyphs: An Extract from the Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution for 1941''. Seattle; Shorey Book Store. ISBN 0846601222 | ||
| − | == | + | ==References== |
*[http://www.enformy.com/dma-Chap7.htm The Great Whorf Hypothesis Hoax.] | *[http://www.enformy.com/dma-Chap7.htm The Great Whorf Hypothesis Hoax.] | ||
*[http://mtsu32.mtsu.edu:11072/Whorf/mindblw.htm The Mind of Benjamin Whorf.] Paper given at the South Atlantic Modern Language Association. | *[http://mtsu32.mtsu.edu:11072/Whorf/mindblw.htm The Mind of Benjamin Whorf.] Paper given at the South Atlantic Modern Language Association. | ||
Revision as of 16:56, 22 June 2006
Benjamin Lee Whorf (April 24, 1897 – July 26, 1941) was an American linguist, anthropologist, and chemical engineer. He is best known as one of the creators of the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis.
Life
Benjamin Lee Whorf was born on April 24, 1897 in Winthrop, Massachusetts. Whorf was the eldest of the three sons of Sarah Lee Whorf and Harry Church Whorf, a commercial artist. After high school, Whorf went on to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1918.
In 1919 he became an Engineer for the Hartford Fire Insurance Company were he continued to work until 1941, the year of his death. He settled in Whethersfield, Connecticut where he would remain for the rest of his life and in 1920 he married Cecilia Inez Peckham. They had three children Raymond, Robert and Celia.
In 1931, cognizant of the tensions between religion and science, Whorf began studying linguistics at Yale University under the American linguist and anthropologist Edward Sapir. In 1936. Benjamin Whorf was appointed the Honorary Research Fellow in Anthropology at Yale University and in 1937 he received the Sterling Fellowship. He became a Lecturer in Anthropology at Yale University in 1937 and continued until 1938 at which point he began experiencing serious health problems.
At the age of 44, in July of 1941, Whorf died of cancer in his home in Whethersfield, Connecticut.
Work
Whorf's primary area of interest in linguistics was the study of Native American languages, particularly those of Mesoamerica. He became renowned for his research of the Hopi language and for a theory he called the Principle of Linguistic Relativity. He disseminated his ideas not only by publishing numerous technical articles, but also by producing writings that were accessible to lay readers and by giving captivating, well-received lectures.
Some of Whorf's early work on linguistic theory was inspired by the reports he wrote on insurance losses, where misunderstanding resulted from different understandings of a situation. In one famous incident, an employee who was not a native speaker of English had placed drums of liquid near a heater, believing that as a 'flammable' liquid would burn then a 'highly inflammable' one would not. His papers and lectures featured examples from both his insurance work and his fieldwork with Hopi and other American languages.
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis primarily dealt with the way that language affects thought. Also sometimes called the Whorfian hypothesis (much to Whorf's disapproval) this theory claims that the language a person speaks (independent of the culture in which he or she resides) affects the way that he or she thinks, meaning that the structure of the language itself affects cognition. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis was a term created by opponents of his work; neither did Whorf use the term "linguistic relativity."
Less well known, but important, are his contributions to the study of the Nahuatl and Maya languages. He claimed that Nahuatl was an oligosynthetic language (a claim that would be brought up again some twenty years later by Morris Swadesh, another controversial American linguist). Regarding Maya, he focused on the linguistic nature of the Mayan writing, claiming that it was syllabic to some degree (a claim that has been proven right by Linda Scheele et al. over the past decade).
Legacy
The Majority of Benjamin Whorf's work was published posthumously, his widely known collection of work entitled "Language, Thought and Reality" did not surface until 1956 when it was published by MIT Press. Today. there are writings that Whorf left behind that have not been published.
Benjamin Whorf's contribution to the field of ethnolinguistics, despite the fact that he never began an official carrer in linguistics, has had a rather influential impact on present day theory. In truth, it is widely accepted by Ethnolinguists that culture affects language but it is controverisal as to whether or not language affects culture. However, the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis possesses the authoriy of valid consideration. Whorf's scholarly career is alluring because of his ability to simultaneously pursue both linguistics and chemical engineering. It is believed that Whorf worked full-time as a chemical engineer at the Hartford Fire Insurance Company and his scholarly contribution rivals that of a full-time research professor. He was offered numerous scholarly reserach positions but he declined them amd asserted that his career in chemical engineering offered him a more comfortable living and a greater freedom for his academic and intellectual pursuits.
Publications
- Carroll, John B. 1964. Language, Thought, and Reality: Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf. The MIT Press. ISBN 0262730065
- Whorf, Benjamin Lee. 1933. The Phonetic Value of Certain Characters in Maya Writing. Periodicals Service Co. ISBN 0527012297
- Whorf, Benjamin Lee. 1943. Loan-words in Ancient Mexico. New Orleans; Tulane University of Louisiana.
- Whorf, Benjamin Lee. 1970. (originally published 1942). Maya Hieroglyphs: An Extract from the Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution for 1941. Seattle; Shorey Book Store. ISBN 0846601222
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- The Great Whorf Hypothesis Hoax.
- The Mind of Benjamin Whorf. Paper given at the South Atlantic Modern Language Association.
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