<P> The principle of linguistic relativity holds that the structure of a language affects its speakers' world view or cognition . Popularly known as the Sapir--Whorf hypothesis, or Whorfianism, the principle is often defined to include two versions . The strong version says that language determines thought, and that linguistic categories limit and determine cognitive categories, whereas the weak version says that linguistic categories and usage only influence thought and decisions . </P> <P> The term "Sapir--Whorf hypothesis" is considered a misnomer by linguists for several reasons: Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf never co-authored any works, and never stated their ideas in terms of a hypothesis . The distinction between a weak and a strong version of this hypothesis is also a later invention; Sapir and Whorf never set up such a dichotomy, although often in their writings their views of this relativity principle are phrased in stronger or weaker terms . </P>

The linguistic relativity hypothesis is the idea that
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