definition of language by edward sapir pdf

The only way to describe epilepsy is related to this world view of spirits. In Hmong culture, there is no word for “ epilepsy” instead, the word is associated with the animistic worldview of the Hmong, which serves as a philosophical, religious, and spiritual guide to operating one’s life. It describes the idea that language influences the perceptions and thoughts of people, thus affecting their behavior. or the principle of linguistic relativity.

was first developed by Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf, and is known as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, Whorf (1956). Linguistic relativity The idea that language influences the perceptions and thoughts of people, which in turn affects their behavior. The language used by Hmong and Americans to describe their understanding and knowledge of what was happening to Lia can be referred to as linguistic relativity. This is seen as honorable because the spirits have chosen that person to communicate with them. Epileptic attacks are seen as the ability of an individual to temporarily join the spirit world.

Within the Hmong culture, epilepsy is not described in the same way that Western medical doctors describe it epilepsy is described as qaug dab peg or “the spirit catches you and you fall down.” According to animism, the foundation for Hmong religious beliefs, both good and bad spirits surround us. The story is about Lia Lee, the second-youngest daughter who is diagnosed with severe epilepsy. described the story of a Hmong refugee family, the Lees, and their intercultural interactions with doctors in Merced, California. In The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman Fadiman (1998).

Definition of language by edward sapir pdf