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Does language determine the way we think? Some of the earliest proponents of the idea that language shapes thought were Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (see Whorf, 1956) embodies two concepts: the view that the characteristics of language determine cognitive processes such as thought, perception and memory (known as linguistic determinism), and the idea that each language maps onto the world in a unique way (known as linguistic relativity) (Harley, 1995). The anthropological evidence for linguistic relativity and determinism cited by Whorf (1956) will be critically reviewed. Furthermore, recent psychological evidence for a causal link between language and thought will be evaluated with the view that although language cannot be the sole determinant of thought, it may still subtly shape certain cognitive processes. The strongest version of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis asserts that language exclusively determines thought (Takano, 1989). However, this position is generally considered untenable, as although...

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