Re: OT: Helen Keller & Whorf-Sapir

Staving Jörg Rhiemeier:


>On the other hand, there are both leftists and rightists who reject it.
>I am a leftist and I reject the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (though I don't
>reject it 100%: I think that language indeed influences patterns
>of thought, but it doesn't dominante them).
When conlanging, I reverse the SWH. I assume that linguistic changes are
driven by cultural changes, and use that to deduce what sort of culture
speaks the language I am developing. For example, why do the Wavol
(speakers of Wavoragon) distinguish gramatically between known quantities
(multiple) and unknown quantities (plural)? They are semi-nomadic herdsmen,
and it is important for them to know how many animals they own. The
difference between domestic animals that have been counted and wild animals
that haven't is very significant for them.

Pete