I believe that McWhorter's "language hoax" is right on. But perhaps my reasons for that conclusion differ from his. Mine are transcendental. I'm not sure what his are. But if they're strictly empirical, he doesn't have a leg to stand on. Those amongst us who wish to claim that "It's really all cultural" or "It's really all political" may wish to consider whether that claim is an empirical claim or one making a transcendental (i.e. universal and necessary) claim about relations between concepts their possibilities and limits given our "form of life" or "being-in-the-world." Walter O Quoting Robert Paul <rpaul@xxxxxxxx>: > Julie wrote > > > The article which triggered my original question was all about language > acquisition and fluency development. Any general reactions to this? > http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/12/30/258376009/how-language-seems-to-shape-ones-view-of-the-world?utm_content=socialflow&utm_campaign=nprfacebook&utm_source=npr&utm_medium=facebook > > > You might want to look at > > > <http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/12/30/258376009/how-language-seems-to-shape-ones-view-of-the-world?utm_content=socialflow&utm_campaign=nprfacebook&utm_source=npr&utm_medium=facebook> > > http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Sapir%E2%80%93Whorf_hypothesis.html > > > The so-called Sapir-Whorf (Whorf was Sapir's student; they did not > collaborate) has been around for a long time, under the name 'linguistic > relativity.' Most people think it's been thoroughly debunked, although a > 'weaker version of it' is still around. > > > This is the origin of the view your article sets out. > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopi_time_controversy > > > might be of interest > > > Robert Paul, who has a vast indifference to time > ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
