Editing Linguistic relativity (section)

=== ''Rethinking Linguistic Relativity'' ===
The publication of the 1996 anthology ''Rethinking Linguistic Relativity'' edited by [[John J. Gumperz|Gumperz]] and [[Stephen C. Levinson|Levinson]] began a new period of linguistic relativity studies that emphasized cognitive and social aspects. The book included studies on linguistic relativity and universalist traditions. Levinson documented significant linguistic relativity effects in the different linguistic conceptualization of spatial categories in different languages. For example, men speaking the [[Guugu Yimithirr language]] in [[Queensland]] gave accurate navigation instructions using a compass-like system of north, south, east and west, along with a hand gesture pointing to the starting direction.{{sfn|Levinson|1998|p=13}}

Lucy defines this method as "domain-centered" because researchers select a [[semantic domain]] and compare it across linguistic and cultural groups.<ref name=":3" /> Space is another semantic domain that has proven fruitful for linguistic relativity studies.{{sfn|Lucy|1997|p=301}} Spatial categories vary greatly across languages. Speakers rely on the linguistic conceptualization of space in performing many ordinary tasks. Levinson and others reported three basic spatial categorizations. While many languages use combinations of them, some languages exhibit only one type and related behaviors. For example, [[Guugu Yimithirr language|Yimithirr]] only uses absolute directions when describing spatial relations—the position of everything is described by using the cardinal directions. Speakers define a location as "north of the house", while an English speaker may use relative positions, saying "in front of the house" or "to the left of the house".{{sfn|Levinson|1996}}

Separate studies by [[Melissa Bowerman|Bowerman]] and [[Dan Slobin|Slobin]] analyzed the role of language in cognitive processes. Bowerman showed that certain cognitive processes did not use language to any significant extent and therefore could not be subject to linguistic relativity.{{clarify|date=November 2022}}<ref>Bowerman, Melissa (1974). "Learning the Structure of Causative Verbs: A Study in the Relationship of Cognitive, Semantic and Syntactic Development." ''Papers and Reports on Child Language Development'', no. 8. Stanford University, California Committee on Linguistics.</ref> Slobin described another kind of cognitive process that he named "thinking for speaking"—- the kind of process in which perceptional data and other kinds of prelinguistic cognition are translated into linguistic terms for communication.{{clarify|date=November 2022}} These, Slobin argues, are the kinds of cognitive process that are the basis of linguistic relativity.<ref>Slobin, Dan I. (1987). "Thinking for Speaking." ''Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society.'' p. 435–445.</ref>