Linguistic relativity is the claim, associated especially with the names of Humboldt, Sapir, and Whorf, that culture, through language, affects the way in which we think, and especially our classification of the experienced world. This book reexamines ideas about linguistic relativity in the light of new evidence and changes in the theoretical climate. Parts I and II address the classical issues in the relation between thought and language, and the extent of linguistic and cultural universals. Parts III and IV show how changes in our understanding of meaning require that we look at how context enters into interpretation, and how context is constituted in social interaction, reflecting properties of larger social wholes. The editors have provided a substantial introduction which summarizes changes in thinking about the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis in the light of developments in anthropology, linguistics, and cognitive science; and also introductions to each section which will be of especial use to students.

Rethinking linguistic relativity will appeal to all those interested in language, thought, culture, and their interrelation, whether they work with linguistics, anthropology, psychology, or cognitive science.