Eskimo words for snow

"Eskimo snow" redirects here. For the album by Why?, see Eskimo Snow.

The claim that Eskimo words for snow are unusually numerous, particularly in contrast to English, is a cliché commonly used to support the controversial linguistic relativity hypothesis. In linguistic terminology, the relevant languages are the Eskimo–Aleut languages, specifically the Yupik and Inuit varieties.

The strongest interpretation of the linguistic relativity hypothesis, also known as the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis or "Whorfianism", posits that a language's vocabulary (among other features) shapes or limits its speakers' view of the world. This interpretation is widely criticized by linguists,[1] though a 2010 study supports the core notion that the Yupik and Inuit languages have many more root words for snow than the English language.[2][3] The original claim is loosely based in the work of anthropologist Franz Boas and was particularly promoted by his contemporary, Benjamin Lee Whorf, whose name is connected with the hypothesis.[4][5] The idea is commonly tied to larger discussions on the connections between language and thought.

  1. ^ Pinker, Steven (1994). The Language Instinct. New York: HarperCollins. pp. 54-55
  2. ^ Krupnik, Igor; Müller-Wille, Ludger (2010), Krupnik, Igor; Aporta, Claudio; Gearheard, Shari; Laidler, Gita J. (eds.), "Franz Boas and Inuktitut Terminology for Ice and Snow: From the Emergence of the Field to the "Great Eskimo Vocabulary Hoax"", SIKU: Knowing Our Ice, Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 377–400, doi:10.1007/978-90-481-8587-0_16, ISBN 978-90-481-8586-3, retrieved 2023-01-16
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Robson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pullum's explanation was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Panko, Ben (2016). "Does the Linguistic Theory at the Center of the Film ‘Arrival’ Have Any Merit?". Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian Magazine.