Benjamin Lee Whorf

American linguist who developed the linguistic relativity hypothesis through studies of Hopi and other Indigenous languages.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Worked full-time as a fire-prevention engineer for the Hartford Fire Insurance Company.
• Studied Hopi, Nahuatl, and Maya writing under Edward Sapir at Yale.
• The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was named for him and his mentor after his death.

Specifications & Metrics

• ERA: 1897 – 1941