Language, Thought, and Reality: Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf

This is an intriguing collection of essays by Benjamin Whorf, who provided a decidely different perspective on how language interfaces with reality through the human medium. I found all of the essays to be interesting, but particularly enjoyed the ones that explored the metaphysics of language. I think this is a book that any linguist should read, but also one that many a magician will want to read, in order to better appreciate the connection between language and reality.

As of Summer, 2008, there are new Benjamin Lee Whorf materials available, to include articles on linguistics and an entire novel written during the trial of John T. Snopes. Also available on this
CD-ROM are articles and book-length works about Whorf.

See THE BENJAMIN LEE WHORF LEGACY CD-ROM, Ed. Peter C. Rollins.
It is fully described at www.petercrollins.com

This was a most unusual reading experience which prompted contemplation of new(to me) views of reality which were totally unexpected at the outset. I bought this book after reading Against Method by Paul Feyerabend,in which Feyerabend cites this book as a reference supporting his assertion that Western scientific methodology contains many unrecognized assumptions. That Whorf was regarded that highly by Feyerabend is impressive,since Whorf was not formally educated as a linguist, but as a chemical engineer. Whorf was able to pursue his interest in linguistics on his own terms and it is a testimony to his brilliance that he received much acclaim from lettered members in the field. The essays in this book were assembled by John B. Carroll after Whorf's death. They are arranged chronologically,which has the unfortunate result of placing the most technical articles toward the front of the book. The detailed analysis using linguistic terminology is enough to scare the general reader away,if my reaction is any indication. However,I'm glad I persevered because as the book progressed it became more understandable in terms of psychology and anthropology. And,while many of his detailed analyses of native American languages and their comparison to English, were difficult to follow,it was interesting to see how his theories had a firm grounding in the practical application of his craft. In the second half of the book,it became increasingly evident that his interest in this field had deeply-felt metaphysical underpinnings. He felt that Western science was boxed in by the artificial constructions of English,and the study of languages could be the tool to help the human race come to a clearer understanding of reality. In the last essay he compares the influence of language to the Hindu concept of Maya which imposes distracting patterns on humanity which cloud our consciousness. His missionary zeal to convince the world of the importance of studying language as a tool for progress seems to me to border on the eccentric.However,I believe there can be little doubt that he was an original and important thinker. This was an interesting and thought-provoking collection containing not only his remarkable theories, but also many fascinating bits of knowledge about the history and practice of working with languages.

I used this book in research back in the 60's, while trying to create a theory of learning based on game theory, linguistic analysis and linguistic relativism. Long past my senior thesis days, Whorf's work still intrigues me, especially now that physics has revealed new levels of reality. Back in the 60's, I was just beginning to understand that Wittgenstein was essentially a metaphysician, and that his 'linguistic analysis' was breaking down our conventional view of the world, opening up new approaches to thinking about the nature of reality, Time, Memory, and Meaning. Whorf's writing on the cultural relativism of language and thought was instrumental in opening my awareness to the possibilities of meta-linguistics. Far from being out of favor as one reviewer has stated, Satir-Whorf is the language of today's science and knowledge, and describes the gradual change in how we perceive the world.

The reviewer claiming that Whorf is out of favor in the field of linguistics has a skewed idea of the disipline. Plenty of first-class linguists, including John Lucy, Stephen Levinson, Eve Danziger, Michael Silverstein, Penny Lee, John Gumperz and others take direct inspiration in their cutting-edge research from Whorf.

It is important to understand that the term "Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis" is a misnomer, a misreading that developed in the positivistic 50s after Whorf was dead. He was too smart to refer to his "Principal of Linguistic Relativity" (his term) as a 'hypothesis'. It's closer to an axiom, not an empirically testable hypothesis. This book is not for beginners, but read it carefully and you will gain much insight into the connections between language and thought. If you want a discussion of language for total beginners, Edward Sapir's book _Language_, first published in 1921 has been in continuous print for good reason--it's still excellent and relevant.