Question

Which of the following supports the Whorf-Sapir hypothesis?

1) Danyal comes from a small village where they use one word to describe "5 or more". Danyal has trouble solving a complex mathematical task that includes numbers greater than 5.
2) Marisa was born deaf and was exclusively taught lip-reading. However, over time, she started to develop her own form of sign language with its own internally consistent grammar.
3) Aiah comes from a secluded town where the local language refers to all male relatives with the same word. She treats her uncles as elders, but not her young cousins.
4) Jack, who was born and raised in Germany, thought his teacher was speaking French too quickly for him to comprehend on his first day of French class.

Answer 1

Of the four options, the scenario where Danyal has trouble with complex mathematics due to his language having one word for '5 or more' supports the Whorf-Sapir hypothesis. This example suggests that his language may influence his cognitive processes in understanding and performing mathematical tasks.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Whorf-Sapir Hypothesis

The Whorf-Sapir hypothesis, also known as linguistic relativity, suggests that the language we speak influences how we think and perceive reality. Considering the options provided, the one that supports the Whorf-Sapir hypothesis is: 1) Danyal comes from a small village where they use one word to describe "5 or more". Danyal has trouble solving a complex mathematical task that includes numbers greater than 5. This example implies that Danyal's cognitive abilities in understanding and performing tasks with numbers may be conditioned by the linguistic structures and vocabulary available in his native language.

Conversely, the other examples do not specifically pertain to language influencing cognitive processes or perception of reality as postulated by the hypothesis. For instance, Marisa developing her own sign language suggests a capacity for creating language when one is lacking, but it does not directly address whether her thought processes are shaped by it. Aiah's treatment of male relatives according to cultural norms speaks to societal behavior rather than linguistic determinism of thought. Lastly, Jack's difficulty in understanding French simply relates to the challenge of learning a new language and does not demonstrate that his native German influences his perception of reality.