The Sapir Whorf hypothesis proposes that our world view is created by our language. It suggests that people with different ways of describing the world would see the world differently. You can download a PowerPoint explaining the main points here.
The problem is that, as all human beings are equipped with roughly similar brains and sets of sensory equipment, any difference in world views is likely to be tiny and subject to dispute. The Piraha Indians are one candidate group for a significantly different world view but the claims made about them are hotly contested.
One test of the hypothesis would be if it were literally impossible to translate a concept from a particular language. All known languages do seem to be translatable, but it is intriguing to speculate about whether we would be able to speak to, say, dolphins, computers with artificial intelligence or space aliens.
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