Simona Ondrejkova ADV 3410

Explanation of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and its implications for Hispanic consumer behavior
The idea of the linguistic relativity hypothesis that became widely known because of Sapir and Whorf states that what people think is determined by the language they know. I think this hypothesis is a valid explanation of how people choose some of their thoughts. While there is no solid scientific evidence supporting such an idea, by observing the world around us we can reasonably deduce that language does have an effect on our thinking. In our book, Dr. Korzenny notes that concepts are represented by symbols such as words. This means that when we see something happening in our outside world, we put a label on it a word and we are thus creating our language. Since we can only include in our language what we see in our external reality, the language is limited to the culture or setting in which we live (Kit-Fong, 2002). If the language does not have words for something, it is likely that we will not know that something in our experience because it literally does not exist in a sense of word. Language plays a huge role in our outside experiences. From reading and writing to kids learning how to talk and express themselves, language is something that cannot be avoided and that is a constant influence. Since it is so deeply ingrained in us, our minds pretty much have no choice but to create thoughts, beliefs, values, and thus lifestyles that are compatible with the words that we know. The fact that Hispanic cultures have a wide range of words and phrases to describe the idea of a life controlled by fate shows that because Hispanics have those words available for use in their vocabulary, they will

probably contemplate fatalistic theories more and believe them. Since cultures such as American do not have as many symbols to express this idea, less American people think in terms of a fixed destiny. Not only are our thoughts limited by language, but so is our worldly experience (Swoyer, 2010). For example, think of the people that live on the North Pole. I am sure they have dozens of ways to describe snow and its texture, depth, and density. By having such a broad vocabulary about one concept, their experience of snow is more expanded as are their thoughts about the descriptions of snow (Swoyer, 2010). However, for people like me that live in Florida, snow is just a white, cold, powder-looking thing. Even though I know what it is, my experience of snow is limited by the language that is used to describe it in my cultural proximity. On the other hand if someone from the North Pole was confronted with the idea of a tropical rain forest, the image in his mind would be very vague and simple, because in his language and his cultural background, they do not have the words that describe the lushness of the tall green trees; they do not need it. Language is a tool that helps the people of its culture define the world in a certain way. It helps them survive and evolve. Korzenny also implies in our book that higher-order thinking requires the knowledge of more language and more words. Lets say somebody wanted you to do a presentation about stem cell research on the spot. It would probably be very hard to come up with scientific and medical terms to describe it because you have not been exposed to the language, thus your higher-order thinking would not be possible without the words that adequately describe such an idea.

Linguistic classifications such as genders also play an important role in our thinking. Languages such as Spanish that have overt gender-marking which means that every object is either feminine, masculine, or neuter lead us to think more in terms of the object described as having certain qualities (Whorf, 1956). For example, because the moon is feminine (la luna) in Spanish, we may attribute it feminine qualities when thinking about its deeper spiritual purpose. However in a covert language like English, the moon is open to many different interpretations, all depending on the words weve been taught about it before. Whether or not you believe that language determines our thinking, there are important marketing ideas we can take from the linguistic relativity hypothesis. First, some words that exist in English do not exist in Spanish because they are not in the scope of the Hispanics experience. Thus we need to make sure that the concept were trying to advertise is known to the Hispanics and if not, we have to find other words that would help relay such a concept to them. Second, the language we use in our marketing efforts can bring us closer or distance us from the Hispanics because of how much it reflects the culture in which the language was used originally. Translation cannot just be Spanish words coded into English, but it has to take in consideration the meaning of the words in different contexts. Third, if possible, when marketing to Hispanics, use Spanish. The emotional value of an ad in Spanish is different from the one in English and the use of accurate Spanish ensures that what is said is compatible with existing beliefs. Language should not be underestimated when it comes to marketing to Hispanics; it underlines and conveys the Hispanic roots and the peoples pride in them.

References
Kit-Fond, Terry (2002), Chinese and English counterfactuals: The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis revisited, Science Diretc:Cognitiot. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T24-45Y6PCWY&_user=10&_coverDate=12%2F31%2F1983&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_ Swoyer, Chris, "Relativism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2010 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2010/entries/relativism/ . Whorf,Benjamin. (1956). Language, thought, and reality. Cambridge, Mass.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press.