Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

1. The Sapir-Whorf supposal regard ast the comprehension of the world for an individual determines by the background linguals governance or grammar. In former(a)wise words, dustup which use in his or her goal influence his or her thought, idea, view of the world. Explanation of this hypothesis will be to a greater extent intelligible by examples. Cultural emphasis is one of the popular examples of Sapir-Whorf supposal. Cultural emphasis is if a last A counts to a greater extent than approximately certain aspect a no.her(prenominal) finishing B, the culture A slants to have more verity of word that the culture B about the aspect.For example, in English words cogitate family relationship might be 20 or less aunt, uncle, father, mother, grandmother, grandfather, great grandmother or grandfather, son, daughter, cousin, father/mother in law, kin. In contrast, Korea has about 70 or more, which is a natural result as Confucianism was widely spread in Korea. A nonher obvious exa mple to explain about Sapri-Whorf Hypothesis is epoch, and aloofness. In the book, Whorf have studied to explain his hypothesis with time which is the most common nouns in the English speech according to the Lera Boroditskys lecture.The Indo-Europeans (most westward sandwich heap) view the time in three major tenses-past, present, and future. Even though past and future is an abstract concept compare to present, the language of western people consider past and future s real as present. Therefore, the Indo-Europeans have a cultural melody of time units(century, decade, year, month, day, hour, spot even seconds), and from that form there are various other cultural form as records, histories, calendars, and even stock markets.However, the Hopis has different concept of time object glass, and subjective. The objective is a fact which exist, and the subjective is a state is becoming. In other words, rather than past, present, future, there are things becoming that has individual life rhythms bid growing, declining, or changing as plants, weather, or any other form of mother nature does. Therefore, Hopis likely to view the present (objectives) as becoming (subjective) can roll in the hay to pass. Even Korea, had different concept of time before modernization.People divided a day in 12(based on Zodiac) in other words two hours was the smallest worldwide unit of time in Korea. So, occasionally, a friend should wait for about 2hours. By this cultural difference with western society, create a word Korean Time( macrocosm lazy) during the Korean War and the word is listed on Oxford Dictionary. Lera Boroditsky developed Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis by comparing time and space. She insists that the concept of time order in space differs by culture.Lera have shown an interesting video clip of 3D spacing which is arranging time order if there is a dot floating on the air. Koreans may arrange time like breakfast-lunch-dinner(1-2-3/horizontal order) or breakfast(up)/lunch( mid)/dinner(bottom) in the self-orientated position as Korean society had accepted western literacy of knowledge left hand to right, but still has some cultural trace of reading up to bottom. However, the Kuuk nations answer differs by their direction.They will arrange time as 3-2-1 while facing north, and will arrange time by 1-2-3 while facing south. This order is defined by the direction of sunrise and sunset(east to west) and this is a burden of a culture of saying hello as where are you going and the possible answer for the Kuuk people is Far over there to the north-north-east or To the thunder mug of south west to clean by hand at south east. In a nutshell, Sapir, and Whorf claims people understand their world by their linguistic system which is highly related to culture.By comparing Hopis, Korean and Indo-Europeans, We could acknowledge that he norm of time is different by culture and by comparing Kuuk Thaayorre kindred, and Korean, we could set aside that the arrangin g time differs by cultural sense of space. Consequently, Sapir-Whorf hypothesis seems quite reasonablenessable as each(prenominal) group of people thinks and acts differently by the form of cultural language. Reference http//fora. tv/2010/10/26/Lera_Boroditsky_How_Language_Shapes_Thoughtfullprogram David S. Thomsons (2011/10/25). The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis Worlds Shaped by Words.Retrieved from http//uee. unist. ac. kr/webapps/portal/frameset. jsp? tab_tab_grou p_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_7103_1%26url%3D 2. The critics of Sapri-Whorf Hypothesis had insisted the bond between culture and language, doubts the relevance of persons view of the world. The example of Shona which tribe has only three category of colourize does not mean that Shonas eye is psychologically different and cant see rainbow as English-speakers do. Its just hard to speak the definition of the color.Moreover, Whorf probably didnt consider shortly metaphors fo r Hopi language. For example, matinee idol be with you, doesnt mean that person will imagine God being with him. I do admit that Sapir-Whorf Hypothesiss example has some risk of uncertainties as it is hard to totally understand culture of Shona or Hopies for Whorf of other people. However, I do not checker that it Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis is wrong twofold one is the hypothesis is more related to mental state of people rather than physiological state and the other is dead metaphor still affects in other charge.First, even though it is true that people physiologically that benignant eyes are same, it doesnt mean they pull in at the same way as others. For example there is an experiment from BBC Do you see what I see that could reject critics concern. A person from BBC went to the tribe, Himba. The western experimenter showed 12 colors which only one color is different. The western person have shown 11 colors of no. 80-188-12(red,green,blue), and another color of no. 93-188-2(red,gr een,blue).Both colors seem green and it is pretty hard to recognize the difference of us nevertheless, the Himba recognize them without hesitation. In another experiment, the western person has shown 11 colors no. 35-95-65 and one color of no. 35-95-110. To the western, the two colors is apparently divided as blue and green however, this is not the case of Himba tribe. And the second experiment seemed like a knotty problem for the Himba. Second, although it is a dead metaphor it still influences in an indirect way of persons view of the world.Even the words God bless you, or God be with you pith just good luck, it still influences the view of the world. Though the person isnt Christian, the linguistic system means that there is a culture of Christianity that is recognizable. There is an obvious difference of knowing about Christian and not knowing about Christian. A person knows about Christian heard Im a Christian, he or she may see the person with some prejudice but a person who doesnt know about the Christian wont care that much about it. In onclusion, although it is insecure to define another culture from the western view, it doesnt mean that Sapir-Whorf is wrong. As matter of fact, critics concern about physiological view of the eye wasnt related enough to the problem of human thought, and the dead metaphor still gave influence to the persons view of his or her own world. Reference David S. Thomsons (2011/10/25). The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis Worlds Shaped by Words. Retrieved from http//uee. unist. ac. kr/webapps/portal/frameset. jsp? tab_tab_grou p_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_7103_1%26url%3DBBC HORIZON (2011/08/20) Do you See what I see? www. youtube. com/watch? v=4b71rT9fU-I 5. People occasionally see each other sex as a different creature and we easily have misconceptions about the differences between. Deborah Tannen argued both women and men often feel they are not acquiring sufficient credit for what they have done, are not being listened to, are not getting ahead as fast as they should. (p. 64) He explains several(prenominal) reasons why people misunderstand different sex with twofold aspects conversational rituals, and strategies.In conversational rituals, Tannen claims men often involve using opposition such as banter, joking, teasing, and playful put-downs, and expending effort to avoid the one-down position in the interaction. while women are often ways of maintaining an appearance of equality, taking into account the effect of the supercede on the other person, and expending effort to downplay the speakers authority so they can get the job done without flexing their muscles in an obvious way. For example, men tend to speak quite direct, including emotions, like Hey ChickenGo and clean your dirty the room by contrast, women might ask I think it would be authentically nice if the room is cleaned even though she thinks the room is dirty and disgusting. Tennen insist Men whose oppositional strategies are interpreted literally may be seen as aggressive when they are not, and their efforts to ensure that they avoid appearing one-down may be murdern as arrogance. When women use conversational strategies designed to avoid appearing boastful and to take the other persons feelings into account, they may be seen as less confident and competent than they really are. According to my experience, among friends between men, the conversation between friends includes insult. Usually, the more trust, the more insults exist between male friends however, women tends to appraise nearly everything each other, appearance, clothing, make ups, and so on. For instance, there is a famous example of a true-ish point related to this. There is a couple. The man met his old friend in front of her girlfriend. While being happy meeting with his friend, suddenly, she said Lets break up, I didnt knew you were such a crude person. The man was just showing friendship in a univer sal way of other men do.In conclusion, men and women are easy to have misconceptions each other as they have their own cultural-like difference between. The gap of between is not only because of the conversational rituals, but also, the strategies they use. Reference Women and Men Talking on the Job, from Talking from 9 to 5 by Debora Tannen. Copyright ? 1994 by Deborah Tannen. 6. The culture of Kula, the Potlatch, and food forbidden (pigs in the reading) are seems quite imprudent from the view of modern society led by western culture. However, it exist whether it is awkward or not for us.Through Marvin Harris logical objective point of view in adaptation, being economical, or being ecological, I would describe my possible reason of why these culture exist. In the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea the 18 island community holds a closed trading system called Kula or Kula Ring. The Kula was an enclosed trading system for only few senior male trading partners from each island wer e able to participate. With only a large outrigger sailing canoes, the long life-risking voyages were taken for this cover. And the result of this trade is to have few so-called luxuries which are made out of shells or similar form.This strange custom that was held between islands far apart had beneficial aspects for the each tribe. First, each tribe can show diplomacy. The give reciprocity of each tribe overseas, the power of the island tribe is more influential. Second reason is that men of the tribe can have more unity. When people go through a hardship which is people each other feels more unity as more risk was involved in the incident. Through, this dangerous voyage, men in the tribe could have strong unity of going through hardship. Lastly, island tribe could have better economic status.By using surplus, they could get rich and have more stable economy of the island tribe. Potlatch is an undated ceremony which is held for incidents to celebrate like sons marriage, the birth of a child, a daughters first menses, and so on. During the potlatch, tribal leader tenders to other tribe member a banquet which includes not only providing foods and presents, but also burning or tearing patriarchs own property. Marvin Harris explained this as First, it is a feast for unity. And it could actualize his or her status as a patriarch. By showing off-key in front of other member of the tribe, he could unify his tribe by earning respect.As respect could give the cause of gathering more asset of from his tribe member, he could continually gather and lose money and sustain his reputation as a tribe leader. Second, it is a way of bragging his power to other tribe with less blood or war. During Potlatch, other tribe leaders occasionally been invited. And the invited leaders have moral duty to open another Potlatch in his tribe. Through the ceremony, the tribe leader could show the economic situation or power of the tribe. Therefore, each patriarch could show better diplom acy to other tribe.Raising hogget is one of the most economical ways of getting protein comparing between the amount of meat and the crops consumed. Nevertheless, Quran describe pig as a get at and not to be eaten. And Islamic version of Bible is still followed today. Though it seems not rational in present, Qurans taught was greatly reasonable cardinal centuries ago. Quran was an enshrined book for the nomadic people in the Middle East which is filled with dessert. For them, water is more valuable then diamond. And among the cattle that nomadic people raise, pigs were the best consumers of water at that moment.Also, pigs that are raise in farms had more economical value as they simply dont have to strickle and burn fat as much the nomadic people do. Most of all, pigs cannot sweat. They dont have sweat hole as other mammals do. Their adaptations werent for the hot weather itself and easily died in the hot and dry dessert condition. Harriss argument is there is always a very logic al reason for a culture whether it is strange or normal. And his logical reasons could be found by an objective point of view such as in adaptation, being economical, or being ecological.References http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Kula_ring http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Trobriand_Islands http//anthro. palomar. edu/economy/econ_3. htm 7. The Native Americans of the Great Plain were highly depended their lives to buffalos. Buffalos were not only the method of food, but almost everything they need shelter, clothing, fuel, tools, weapons, and other equipment by using buffalos horn, skin, and even dung. Nevertheless, the Native Americans of the Great Plain never worshiped them. Instead, they worshiped Mother Nature, and Father Sky.In other words, they believed everything living and of nature had a hard drink I believe that Marvin Harrison might guess this reason as that buffalos were very plentiful for them, and buffalos were not the only sprit that influenced Native Americans but, most of all, if they have worshiped buffalos, the ritual of catch holy buffalos might be thought as taboo. Buffalos economical value exists only by killing them. As they were valuable, but not valuable enough not to kill, the belief of Totemism might have been a great alternative to them. Reference Darko-Adara (2009. 04. 20) Psychology Concert, StarBooks, Seoul http//en. wikipedia. rg/wiki/Plains_Indians http//www. buffalofieldcampaign. org/aboutbuffalo/bisonnativeamericans. html Midterm raise AHS10404 20101695 Lee, Sang-Deok Answered questions 1. Define the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis and explain it by giving examples of cultural emphasis. In your answer, refer specifically to the concepts of time and space in your language. Your answer should refer to the reading AND the lecture by Lera Boroditsky (10 points) 2. State how critics of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis criticize the hypothesis and discuss whether you agree or not, and support your argument with specific examples in your own language (5 points). . Describe Tannens arguments about why men and women misunderstand each other, and find some examples from your experience or from other sources. (5 points) 6. Describe the Kula, the Potlatch, and food taboo in the readings. How would Marvin Harris (possibly) explain all these cultural practices? Discuss Harris arguments in relation to these three practices. (10 points) 7. Native Americans of the Great Plains never worshiped the buffalo. Why not? Based on what Harris has written, can you think of reasons why they did not worship the animal that was the source of their food? (extra 3 points)