Words for snow revisited: Languages support efficient communication about the environment

(Carnegie Mellon University) The claim that Eskimo languages have many words for different types of snow is well known among the public, but it has been greatly exaggerated and is therefore often dismissed by scholars of language. A new study supports the general idea behind the original claim. Researchers found that languages that use the same word for snow and ice tend to be spoken in warmer climates, reflecting lower communicative need to talk about snow and ice.