How many words do the Eskimo have for snow?
A popular myth claims that the Eskimos have 50, 100 or even 400 words for snow in their language, compared to English’s one word. Like all myths, this one is not exactly true. When you consider how many words there are in English to describe snow (such as ice, slush, sleet, hail, snow flake, powder, frozen water, etc.) it becomes evident that to count all of the words that people in snowy cultures have for snow would be impossible. Not only is it impossible to define what would count as a substitute for ‘snow,’ there exists no single ‘Eskimo’ language. At most, linguists argue that out of all of the languages of Eskimo groups, there are 4 root words for snow, to which various adjectives are added.
