Humboldt, Worldview and Language

From linguists such as Sapir, Whorf and Chomsky to philosophers such as Heidegger and sociologists such as Bourdieu, the idea that a language shapes the worldview of its linguistic community has been attributed to Wilhelm von Humboldt, the Prussian philologist and politician (1767-1835). Underhill’s concise and rigorously researched book clarifies the main ideas and proposals of Humboldt’s linguistic philosophy and demonstrates the way his ideas can be adopted and adapted by thinkers and linguists today.