Question

Anthropologists claimed to have discovered that the Hopi tribe of the American Southwest had no words to distinguish past, present, or future. They concluded that the Hopi did not "see" or experience time in the same way as those whose language provided such words. Such results demonstrate which of the following concepts?

a. Cultural relativism
b. Linguistic determinism
c. Ethnocentrism
d. Cultural universals

Answer 1

The concept demonstrated in this question is linguistic determinism, which is the idea that language shapes thought and influences how we perceive and understand reality. In the case of the Hopi tribe, their language without specific words for past, present, and future influenced their perception and experience of time differently.

Step-by-step explanation:

The concept demonstrated in this question is linguistic determinism. Linguistic determinism is the idea that language shapes thought and influences how we perceive and understand reality. In this case, the anthropologists concluded that the Hopi tribe's language, which lacked specific words for past, present, and future, influenced their perception and experience of time differently than those who had language with such distinctions. The findings support the hypothesis that language influences our cognitive processes and cultural perspectives.