The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis holds that linguistic categories and usage influence thought and behaviour. While itâs relatively uncontroversial that such a link exists, the strength of the link is hotly debated. An example of a strong statement of this hypothesis is the fictional Newspeak language in Orwellâs 1984, a language used as a tool of oppression that functions through the removal of the vocabulary of revolution. Personally I donât believe the strong version of this hypothesisâin such a...
Published on July 21, 2016 17:02