Editing Linguistic determinism (section)

==Overview==
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis branches out into two theories: linguistic determinism and linguistic relativity. Linguistic determinism is viewed as the stronger form – because language is viewed as a complete barrier, a person is stuck with the perspective that the language enforces – while linguistic relativity is perceived as a weaker form of the theory because language is discussed as a lens through which life can be focused, but the lens can be changed, and perspectives can be changed along with it.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Ottenheimer|first=Harriet Joseph|title=The Anthropology of Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology|publisher=Wadsworth Cengage Learning|year=2009|isbn=9780495508847|location=Belmont, CA|pages=28–41}}</ref>

The term "Sapir–Whorf hypothesis" is considered a misnomer by linguists and academics, because [[Edward Sapir]] and [[Benjamin Lee Whorf]] never co-authored any works (however, Whorf had studied under Sapir at Yale University <ref name=":3" />), and never stated their ideas in terms of a hypothesis. The distinction between a weak and a strong version of this hypothesis is also a later invention; Sapir and Whorf never set up such a dichotomy, although often in their writings their views are expressed in stronger or weaker terms.<ref>Hill, Jane H; Mannheim, Bruce (1992), "Language and World view", Annual Review of Anthropology, 21: 381–406, {{doi|10.1146/annurev.an.21.100192.002121}}</ref><ref>Kennison, Shelia (2013). Introduction to language development. Los Angeles: Sage.</ref> The two linguists were nevertheless among the first to formulate the principle of linguistic relativity.

While Sapir exercised the idea that language is essential to understanding one's worldview and that difference in language implies a difference in social reality, he never directly explored how language affects thought, although significant traces of the linguistic relativity principle underlie his perception of language.<ref>Sapir, Edward (1929), "The status of linguistics as a science", Language, 5 (4): 207, {{doi|10.2307/409588}}, JSTOR 409588</ref>

Whorf explored Sapir's concept further and reformulated Sapir's thought in his essay "Science and Linguistics". In Whorf's more radical view, the relationship between language and culture played a crucial role in the perception of reality. The formulation of thoughts, according to Whorf, is not a conscious, independent process, rather, thoughts are determined by the specific grammar and vocabulary of the language in which ideas are expressed. The world, as each individual views it, is, therefore, organized and rationalized through language; because language is the way thoughts are expressed, the language can also shape thoughts.<ref>Whorf, B.L. (1956). "Science and Linguistics". In Carroll, J.B. Language, Thought, and Reality: Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 212–214. {{ISBN|0-262-73006-5}}</ref>

Linguistic determinism and linguistic relativity are heavily debated and researched topics among academics, like linguists Guy Deutscher and Eric Lenneburg, psychologists such as Peter Gordon and Steven Pinker, and even philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche. There are critiques and support for both theories as outlined in research among Guugu-Yimidhirr, Hopi, and Pirahã speakers.