Whorf关于隐性范畴的思想在国内外语言学界研究不多 ,却十分重要 ,被Halliday称为“二十世纪语言学的主要贡献之一”。隐性范畴是指在一般情况下并不出现词素标记的语法范畴 ,它具有暗藏、抽象的本质 ,却在很大程度上是意义之所在。隐性范畴的思想在Whorf理论体系中处于核心地位 ,是Whorf实现其一生的语言学追求的关键。它吸取了Fabred’Olivet、Boas、Sapir等人的研究成果 ,预见了后来Chomsky的研究。在其基础上 ,Halliday提出了语法范畴的“不可言说性”(ineffability) ,Martin考察了他加禄语中的“语法合谋”( grammaticalconspiracies)现象。随着当今认知科学的兴起 ,这一思想的意义将会得到进一步的彰显。 Whorf’s thought about hidden category has not been studied much at home and abroad, but it is very important. It is called “one of the major contributions of linguistics in the 20th century” by Halliday. Recessive category refers to the grammar category that does not appear in the general case of morpheme mark, it has a hidden, abstract essence, but to a large extent, is the significance of. The idea of ​​recessive category is at the core of Whorf’s theoretical system and is the key to Whorf’s linguistic pursuit of his life. It draws on the research results of Fabred’Olivet, Boas, Sapir and others, predicts the later Chomsky’s research. On the basis of this, Halliday proposed the “ineffability” of grammatical categories, and Martin examined the phenomenon of grammatical conspiracies in Tagalog. With the rise of cognitive science today, the significance of this idea will be further highlighted.