In the Mayan Yucatec language, all nouns are accompanied by a term specifying the material of which an object is made (Lucy, 2005). Members of this culture appear to pay more attention to what an object is made of than to its overall shape; English speakers, by contrast, focus on an object's overall shape. This finding:
A)contradicts Benjamin Whorf's argument.
B)refutes the linguistic relativity hypothesis.
C)supports the linguistic relativity hypothesis.
D)is irrelevant to the linguistic relativity hypothesis.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This finding supports the linguistic relativity hypothesis which argues that language shapes and influences the way individuals perceive and think about the world. In this case, the fact that Mayan speakers pay more attention to what an object is made of than its shape suggests that their language may be shaping how they perceive and categorize objects differently than English speakers.

In the Mayan Yucatec Language, All Nouns Are Accompanied by a Term