The review of research presented here examines studies based on Benjamin Whorf's hypothesis of linguistic relativity, which states that cultural traditions encourage certain types of thinking and are reinforced by structural characteristics of particular languages. Studies were selected for inclusion if: (1) the subjects were learners and speakers of languages from language families unrelated to their first languages; and (2) analysis was of semantic/cognitive/perceptual effects using the Whorfian hypothesis as a theoretical base. Both qualitative and quantitative studies are included. Each study is examined and discussed separately. It is concluded that contextually based, multi-level research methods that view the Whorfian hypothesis and its relationship to semantic transfer as problems of discourse are most appropriate, and that discourse-based, naturalistic research would also be of value. Contains 32 references. (MSE)