Mass Media as Language: The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis and Electronic Media

Abstract

... if the literacy of television exerts the type of influence I am suggesting it would seem to weak en the influence of primary liter acies. This, in turn, would seem to weaken the contention of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (while pro viding evidence for it) unless the hypothesis is moved to a different level. That is, if the logic of a lan guage is understandably challenged before the user has fully internalized it as his language and as his logic, then that language must lose some authority.