How does linguistic relativity describe the relationship between language and thought?

In the philosophy of language, linguistic relativity—often associated with the Whorfian hypothesis—proposes that the structure of a language influences how its speakers perceive and think about the world. This concept suggests that because languages differ in their grammatical and lexical structures, they may lead speakers to categorize experience and conceptualize reality in distinct ways.12

Scholars generally distinguish between two interpretations of this relationship:

• Strong Version (Linguistic Determinism): This view posits that language determines thought, implying that certain concepts may be impossible to grasp if they are not encoded in one's language. This version is largely rejected by modern linguists, as it would suggest that translation and shared understanding between different linguistic groups are impossible.123
• Weak Version: This perspective suggests that language influences perception and thought to a degree, without strictly limiting them. While this version allows for cross-cultural understanding, it has faced criticism for being difficult to test empirically.12

While some studies have explored how language affects specific cognitive tasks, such as color perception, results remain mixed and often debated within the scientific community.1