Buch, Englisch, Band 81, 324 Seiten, Format (B × H): 160 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 430 g
A critical reconstruction
Buch, Englisch, Band 81, 324 Seiten, Format (B × H): 160 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 430 g
Reihe: Studies in the History of the Language Sciences
ISBN: 978-90-272-4570-0
Verlag: John Benjamins Publishing Company
At last — a comprehensive account of the ideas of Benjamin Lee Whorf which not only explains the nature and logic of the linguistic relativity principle but also situates it within a larger ‘theory complex’ delineated in fascinating detail. Whorf’s almost unknown unpublished writings (as well as his published papers) are drawn on to show how twelve elements of theory interweave in a sophisticated account of relations between language, mind, and experience. The role of language in cognition is revealed as a central concern, some of his insights having interesting affinity with modern connectionism. Whorf’s gestaltic ‘isolates’ of experience and meaning, crucial to understanding his reasoning about linguistic relativity, are explained. A little known report written for the Yale anthropology department is used extensively and published for the first time as an appendix. With the Whorf centenary in 1997, this book provides a timely challenge to those who take pleasure in debunking his ideas without bothering to explore their subtlety or even reading them in their original form.
