Linguistic Relativity Theory
The Linguistic Relativity theory is the way language is organized can make people define and experience their reality in different ways. In other words, our language shapes our view of reality (DeFleur, Kearney, Plax, & DeFleur, 2005; csufresno.edu). This can occur because different cultures have different vocabulary from one another, different semantics (meanings), metaphors, and contexts (stanford.edu). Also, somebody who has a positive outlook on life will have a positive life, while somebody who is always negative will view the world as negative.
The theorists who came up with this theory are Edward Sapir and his student Benjamin Lee Whorf.
This theory has two basic components:
1. Linguistic Determinism: what is said only has some effect on how they are recognized by the mind
a. Strong Determinism: What is said is directly responsible for what is seen in somebody's mind
b. Weak Determinism: What is said has some effect on how things are recognized by the mind
2. Linguistic Relativity: the "real world" is based on your language (csufresno.edu)
An example can be how cultures have different meanings for the same words we have in America. For example, different cultures have different divisions of colors. Some combine certain colors together, instead of having a name for everyone of them, like in America. Click here to view an example of how somebody with a negative attitude toward everything reacts to change, and here for more information.
