Humboldt, Worldview and Language
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.
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Humboldt, Worldview and Language
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.
29.95 In Stock
Humboldt, Worldview and Language

Humboldt, Worldview and Language

by James W. Underhill
Humboldt, Worldview and Language

Humboldt, Worldview and Language

by James W. Underhill

Paperback

$29.95 
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Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780748668793
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Publication date: 03/11/2013
Pages: 176
Product dimensions: 8.40(w) x 5.40(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

James Underhill is Head of English at the Université Stendhal Grenoble 3 France

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

Preface ix

Part I Language and World

1 The Word is a World (La parole est un monde) 3

2 What Do We Have in Mind When We Talk about Language? 10

3 What Do We See in the Term Worldview? 14

4 Boas 20

5 Sapir 25

6 Whorf 33

Part II Humboldt, Man and Language

7 Worldview (Weltanschauung or Weltansicht) 53

8 Sprache 58

9 The Work of the Mind 63

10 Form 74

11 Creativity, Culture and Character 81

12 Catching the Character 97

13 A Seeing and Feeling Worldview 106

14 Four Dangers in the Comparative Approach 113

15 Reformulating the Worldview Hypothesis 120

World 123

Language 128

Thought 131

Worldview 134

16 A Final Word 144

Glossary 147

Bibliography 154

Index 160

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