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From: dmark@acsu.buffalo.edu (David Mark)
Newsgroups: sci.lang,comp.cog-eng,sci.psychology,sci.philosophy.tech
Subject: Re: Computer Languages and the Sapir/Whorf hypothesis
Keywords: computer languages, Sapir/Whorf hypothesis, linguistics
Message-ID: <33395@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>
Date: 22 Aug 90 13:13:34 GMT
References: <1445@anaxagoras.ils.nwu.edu> <2674@vela.acs.oakland.edu> <38324@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
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In article <38324@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> hullp@cogsci.berkeley.edu.UUCP () writes:
> ... some lines deleted ...
>
>                                         The problem is that most of
>the tests of the hypothesis have been tests of color perception and
>categorization.  Color perception is strongly rooted in physiology
>and is thus uniform across cultures to a large degree.  Any language
>effects would have to be in a domain for which there is less evidence
>for a physical basis.

In fact, Lakoff (in "Women, Fire, ...") discusses a study by Kay and
Kempton that seemed to clearly demonstrate linguistic relativity in
color perception.  Phillip Hull is correct in pointing out the strong
physiological basis of color perception.  Thus different color perception
due to language seems pretty powerful evidence.  (I could describe the
experiment, from Lakoff's account, and/or give the full reference, if
people want me to.)

David Mark
dmark@acsu.buffalo.edu