The linguistic relativity hypothesis, the proposal that the particular language we speak influences the way we think about reality, forms one part of the broader question of how language influences thought. Structure-centered approaches begin with language differences and ask about their implications for thought.

Linguistic determinism is the strong form of linguistic relativity (popularly known as the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis), which argues that individuals experience the world based on the structure of the language they habitually use.

Linguistic Determinism suggests that one’s language determines the ways one’s mind constructs categories. This influence of language on culture is called Linguistic Relativism.

Franz Boas is regarded as both the “father of modern anthropology” and the “father of American anthropology.” He was the first to apply the scientific method to anthropology, emphasizing a research- first method of generating theories.

Xenocentrism is the preference for other people’s cultural practices which entails how they live, what they eat, rather than of one’s own way of life. One example is the romanticization of the noble savage in the 18th-century primitivism movement in European art, philosophy and ethnography.

cultural relativism

Introduction. Ethnocentrism is a term applied to the cultural or ethnic bias—whether conscious or unconscious—in which an individual views the world from the perspective of his or her own group, establishing the in-group as archetypal and rating all other groups with reference to this ideal.

Acculturation refers to changes in behaviour and attitudes through contact between individuals from different cultural backgrounds (e.g. Berry 2006. 2006.

Examples of Assimilation He argued that they actively try to make sense of the world, constantly forming new ideas and experimenting with those ideas. Examples of assimilation include: A child sees a new type of dog that they’ve never seen before and immediately points to the animal and says, “Dog!”