Whorfian Hypothesis Framing Language and Culture

The discussion about language and culture will be merely more and more fascinated. Since both of them come in related each other. Sometimes we may say that certain language creates a certain culture, while some cases proved that the culture itself can build up a new language. However, to make the study easier, we must define the word 'culture' firstly before going on discussion. Goodenough (1957) slightly defined culture as everything known, done and believed by the doer or we mean, here, the individual as the member of society. Those things may necessarily consist of behaviors which do not come genetically but through learning process in the society.



The Whorfian Hypothesis
Since language and culture are debatable in the way one influence another, consequently linguistic scientists stood for investigating a different argument about this. Some believed that the structure of language determines the way the speakers think, act or behave in daily living, while some refused that argument. They figured out that culture definitely influence the language varieties. And the rest of them prefer to point out that language and culture stand independently without any relationship each other. These hypothesis concerning those two terms (language and culture) broaden its study till today.
Benjamin Lee Whorf, the student of Edward Sapir, found out the objective that is famously known as "The Whorfian Hypothesis". He mentioned that ideas are not independently formulated but the background of grammatical system generally modifies it. That is why different people view the world differently as they differentiate language structurally.
Whorf found his hypothesis through his two experiences, either as a fire prevention engineer for The Hartford Fire Insurance Company or Linguistic work on American Indian Language where he was a student of Sapir. He observed the specific vocabularies used by fire workers that were understandable among them. It is the same as the chemicals or physicians who easily talk about medical matters while we do not. It means the linguistic behaviors even purely behaviors itself are much determined by the linguistic formulas in which the situation is spoken. Whorf's experience as the linguistic observer led him to the investigation through the structure of Hopi language of New Mexico which is in contrast with European language; such as English, German, French, etc. in European language, the time order is presented in different structure while Hopi provided a process orientation toward the world. These distinctions formally influence the speakers in the way they form their world-view.
However, the previous theory of language and culture is not necessarily appeared because we may find in some cases people from different cultures speak the same, such Hungarians, Finns, and the Samoyeds of Northern Siberia, as it was pointed by Boas (1911) a long time ago.
What actually important from Whorfian hypothesis is not its validity but mastering a certain language can help the speakers in expressing particular situations.
Kinship System
The study about kinship seem interesting since it is complicatedly various. Almost every language differ in renaming and redefining the label of family members, for instance; The Njamal (a tribe of Australian Aborigines) calls his or her father's brother's daughter as 'Turda' whereas 'cousin' in English. They used the word 'maraga' to mention any daughters who are younger than.
Again, the world of language develops dynamically, the result is the kinship system also may more vary and vary depends on an appropriate situation that occur.
Taxonomies
Since people differ in the way they occupy themselves, as the result, there will be a great number of different classification and categorization of any aspects of the world. Scientists take a place on their appropriate scientific matter, while librarians and story-teller, for example, do too. They unconsciously manipulate language into various forms depend on its own place.
Then, linguists offer the discipline called 'Folk Taxonomies' which refers to the way of classifying a certain part of reality in order to make some easiness in the world of communication.
Folk Taxonomies may also means specifying such word choices in such matters. Frake (1961) once held a studies concerning this term on The Subanun of Mindanano in The Southern Philippines. They used particular term to describe disease.
The study about Folk Taxonomies effectively helps us to investigate how people organize the world around them.
Color Terminology
Language and culture exploration, then, come to the study of color terminology. This is basically simple; however, it is able to colorize the area of language varieties, because a particular language has a particular word to express color.
Each language generally has the basic color terms, for instance English has only a single word to mention basic color; blue, yellow, red, and so on. However, the need of people to express more than only basic color, consequently led them to create a certain word such as 'the light blue, pale yellow, grayish brown, etc.
Prototype Theory
This theory refers to the way people codify such things and situation around them. People prefer to classify a particular thing arbitrarily. For example; apple, orange are included to kind of fruit while tomato is not.
Hudson (1980) pointed out that Prototype Theory is an easy way for people to express language verbally from such things and situation that are occurred. This theory is not only helps us to form an ideas but also to draw social competence in the use of language.
Taboo and Euphemism
Taboo stands for a certain expression which is considerably avoided because, usually, norm wants it to be avoided for some particular reasons. Society defines taboo particularly as kind of behaviors that are harmful to its members. Taboo has wide areas, such as sex, death, excretion, bodily function, religious matter, etc. Language taboo in particular community may be not meant so in another community. That is why people should be careful in giving judgment on certain language varieties. It means a language used by particular society may be not the superior one among others.
In other hand, Euphemistic expression, people are allowed to express certain tabooed, of course, in particular ways. However, taboo and euphemism arbitrarily based on a society’s agreement. All those things refer to language varieties.