32 Relations Between Language and Th ought

Traditionally it has been assumed that language is a conduit for thought, a system for converting our preexisting ideas into a transmissible form (sounds, gestures, or written symbols) so that they can be passed into the minds of others equipped with the same language machinery. During the early and mid 20th century, however, several linguistic anthropologists, most notably Benjamin Whorf and Eric Sapir, proposed that language is not merely an interface but also plays a formative role in shaping thought itself. At its strongest, this view is that language “becomes” thought or becomes isomorphic to it. Here is this position as Whorf stated it: