RSSBook: Humboldt, Worldview and Language
Jul 07
Title: Humboldt, Worldview and Language
Publication Year: 2013
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
http://www.euppublishing.com
Book URL: http://www.euppublishing.com/book/9780748668793
Author: James W. Underhill
Paperback: ISBN: 9780748668793 Pages: 176 Price: U.K. £ 19.99
Abstract:
With the loss of many of the world’s languages, it is important to question
what will be lost to humanity with their demise. It is frequently argued that
a language engenders a ‘worldview’, but what do we mean by this term?
Attributed to German politician and philologist Wilhelm von Humboldt
(1767-1835), the term has since been adopted by numerous linguists. Within
specialist circles it has become associated with what is known as the
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis which suggests that the nature of a language influences
the thought of its speakers and that different language patterns yield
different patterns of thought.
Underhill’s concise and rigorously researched book clarifies the main ideas
and proposals of Humboldt’s linguistic philosophy and demonstrates the way his
ideas can be adopted and adapted by thinkers and linguists today. A detailed
glossary of terms is provided in order to clarify key concepts and to
translate the German terms used by Humboldt.
Recent Comments