Benjamin Whorf Quotes

United States, Linguist
April 24, 1897 – July, 26, 1941.

Benjamin Lee Whorf (April 24, 1897 – July 26, 1941) was an American linguist and fire prevention engineer. Whorf is widely known as an advocate for the idea that differences between the structures of different languages shape how their speakers perceive and conceptualize the world. This principle has frequently been called the "Sapir–Whorf hypothesis", after him and his mentor Edward Sapir, but Whorf called it the principle of linguistic relativity, because he saw the idea as having implications similar to Einstein's principle of physical relativity.

Also known as Engineer

But in due course it became evident that not only a physical situation qua physics, but the meaning of that situation to people, was sometimes a factor, through the behavior of people, in the start of a fire.

Benjamin Whorf
- People
- Fire
My analysis was directed toward purely physical conditions, such as defective wiring, presence of lack of air spaces between metal flues and woodwork, etc., and the results were presented in these terms.

Benjamin Whorf
- Air

We dissect nature along lines laid down by our native language.

Benjamin Whorf
- Nature
Most metaphysical words in Hopi are verbs, not nouns as in European languages.

Benjamin Whorf
- Words
Language is not simply a reporting device for experience but a defining framework for it.

Benjamin Whorf
- Experience
Too long has the public mind considered religion to be synonymous with priestcraft.

Benjamin Whorf
- Long
- Mind
At the same time, new concepts and abstractions flow into the picture, taking up the task of describing the universe without reference to such time or space - abstractions for which our language lacks adequate terms.

Benjamin Whorf
- Up
- Time
- Space