Semantic Structures in Northwestern California and the Sapir‐Whorf Hypothesis 1

Abstract

(article summary): Northwestern California offers a case of aboriginal groups living in nearly identical cultures but speaking languages which differ considerably in structure. This situation can be used as a sort of test of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, especially of Sapir's claim that groups speaking diverse languages necessarily classify phenomena into "distinct worlds". The extreme genetic differences between the northwestern California languages are tempered somewhat by a few rather striking linguistic similarities--perhaps an indication of mutual linguistic influence. On the other hand, the cultures may not be as identical as has been thought. This possibility can be investigated more thoroughly by study of the semantic structures of the tribes concerned, in particular of their folk classifications of the biosphere. Study of three tribes shows that folk taxonomies are not necessarily hierarchical; they are better represented by a "spheres of influence" model than by a "family tree" model. The final question posed is: Are these taxonomies relatively similar to each other, like the cultures of the area; or are they diverse, like the linguistic structures? We find them quite similar, contrary to prediction from the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. However, the greater choice in the Yurok taxonomic system can be correlated with the relatively greater choice allowed within Yurok grammar--a conclusion which supports Sapir and Whorf.