Language, Thought and Reality: Selected Writings (M.I.T. Press Paperback Series)

The pioneering linguist Benjamin Whorf (1897--1941) grasped therelationship between human language and human thinking: how language can shape ourinnermost thoughts. His basic thesis is that our perception of the world and ourways of thinking about it are deeply influenced by the structure of the languages wespeak. The writings collected in this volume include important papers on the Maya, Hopi, and Shawnee languages as well as more general reflections on language andmeaning.