Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897-1941) was an American linguist and anthropologist known for his work on [[linguistic relativity]], also known as the [[Linguistic Relativity|Sapir-Whorf hypothesis]]. He was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts, and studied chemical engineering at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]. However, his interest shifted to linguistics and anthropology after attending lectures by [[Edward Sapir]]. Whorf conducted extensive research on indigenous languages of Mesoamerica, particularly the Hopi language spoken by the Hopi people of Arizona. He believed that language shapes our thoughts and worldview, and that different languages influence how their speakers perceive and interpret reality. One of Whorf's most famous contributions is his theory of linguistic relativity, which suggests that the structure and vocabulary of a language influence its speakers' perception of reality. He argued that the grammatical categories and lexical distinctions in a language affect how its speakers think about objects, concepts, and events. Whorf believed that language not only reflects but also determines our thought processes. Whorf's ideas were influential in shaping the field of linguistic anthropology and had a significant impact on various disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, and cognitive science. However, some aspects of his hypotheses have been criticized by contemporary linguists for being too deterministic or overstated. Despite his important contributions to linguistic relativity, Whorf's work remained largely overlooked during his lifetime. It was only after his death that his writings were published posthumously by his colleagues and gained wider recognition. Overall, Benjamin Lee Whorf is remembered as a pioneering thinker who explored the relationship between language and cognition, paving the way for further research in understanding how language shapes our perception of the world around us.