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1、Sapir-Whorf hypothesis 萨丕尔-沃尔夫假说 1. The philosophical basis of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis is empirical and the theoretical background is structuralism. 萨丕尔和沃尔夫是语言相对论思想的集大成者。 2. While we reject the strong version of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, its weaker version is generally accepted by most scholars
2、. 尽管我们反对萨丕尔-沃尔夫假设的强假设，而大部分学者却普遍接受了其弱假设。 Sapir-WhorfSapir-WhorfSapir-Whorf hypothesishypothesishypothesis EdwardEdwardEdward SapirSapirSapir andandand BenjaminBenjaminBenjamin Whorf,Whorf,Whorf, proclaimedproclaimedproclaimed thatthatthat thethethe structurestructurestructure ofofof thethethe languag
3、elanguagelanguage peoplepeoplepeople habituallyhabituallyhabitually useuseuse influencesinfluencesinfluences thethethe wayswaysways theytheythey thinkthinkthink andandand behave,behave,behave, i.e.i.e.i.e. differentdifferentdifferent languageslanguageslanguages offerofferoffer peoplepeoplepeople dif
4、ferentdifferentdifferent wayswaysways ofofof expressingexpressingexpressing thethethe worldworldworld around,around,around, theytheythey thinkthinkthink andandand speakspeakspeak differently,differently,differently, thisthisthis is is is alsoalsoalso knownknownknown asasas linguisticlinguisticlingui
5、stic relativity.relativity.relativity. SapirSapirSapir andandand WhorfWhorfWhorf believebelievebelieve thatthatthat languagelanguagelanguage filtersfiltersfilters peoplespeoplespeoples perceptionperceptionperception andandand thethethe waywayway theytheythey categorizecategorizecategorize experience
6、s.experiences.experiences. ThisThisThis interdependenceinterdependenceinterdependence ofofof languagelanguagelanguage andandand thoughtthoughtthought is is is nownownow knownknownknown asasas Sapir-WhorfSapir-WhorfSapir-Whorf Hypothesis.Hypothesis.Hypothesis. StrongStrongStrong versionversionversion
7、 behavior;behavior; WeakWeakWeak versionversionversion holdsholdsholds thatthatthat thethethe formerformerformer influenceinfluenceinfluence thethethe latter.latter.latter. -The-The-The studystudystudy ofofof thethethe linguisticlinguisticlinguistic relativityrelativityrelativity ororor SWHSWHSWH ha
8、shashas shedshedshed twotwotwo importantimportantimportant insights:insights:insights: ThereThereThere is is is nowadaysnowadaysnowadays a a a recognitionrecognitionrecognition thatthatthat language,language,language, asasas code,code,code, reflectsreflectsreflects culturalculturalcultural preoccupa
9、tionspreoccupationspreoccupations andandand constrainsconstrainsconstrains thethethe waywayway peoplepeoplepeople think.think.think. MoreMoreMore thanthanthan in inin WhorfsWhorfsWhorfs days,days,days, however,however,however, wewewe recognizerecognizerecognize howhowhow importantimportantimportant
10、contextcontextcontext is is is in inin complementingcomplementingcomplementing thethethe meaningsmeaningsmeanings encodedencodedencoded in inin thethethe language.language.language. Much was made of the Inuit language where there is no precise equivalent to the single English word snow. Because snow
11、 is such an important part of survival of people of the north, they had nineteen different words that varied according to the condition of snow. At first, some argued that this was only a matter of what sizes and shapes of boxes are the words we use in which to put experiences. In English, however,
12、we have no single word meaning the chemical, di-hydrogen oxide (H2O). If you want to object and say, But we have the word water, let me point out that the word water does not apply to conditions of H2O when it is frozen, crystallized or vaporized, for which we have other words (ice, snow, steam, fog
13、, clouds, humidity). From the time we are born, we are inundated with thousands of bits of information per second, as sound, smell, touch, temperature and sight. They are many and random. In themselves, they have no meanings. It is only through our interaction with other human beings that we begin to apply meaning, and we start to put a range of different information bits into the same categories, words. Those words, or categories of large numbers of information bits, differ from language to language.
