Languages such as Spanish and German differentiate between male and female nouns. For example, in Spanish bridge is el puente, a masculine noun. In German, bridge is die Brücke, a feminine noun. As a result, German speakers typically attach more romantic adjectives such as beautiful and elegant to their descriptions of bridges, and Spanish speakers tend to speak of bridges as big and strong. This phenomenon demonstrates the operation of the ________.
A) Theory of Metaphor
B) Ambiguity Hypothesis
C) Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis
D) Birdwell's Thesis
E) McLuhan's Quandary

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This phenomenon demonstrates the operation of the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis, which suggests that language influences thought and perception. In this case, the gendered nature of nouns in Spanish and German appears to shape how speakers of those languages think about and describe bridges. This is also known as linguistic determinism, as the structure of language is said to determine or influence how people think and perceive the world around them.

Languages Such as Spanish and German Differentiate Between Male and Female