Conversation so far:
Where did Benjamin Lee Whorf attend college?
Benjamin Lee Whorf attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University.
What year did Benjamin Lee Whorf attend Yale?
Benjamin Lee Whorf attended Yale in 1931.
Why did Benjamin Lee Whorf take American Indian Linguistics?
Benjamin Lee Whorf had a life-long interest in indigenous languages. He studied Nahuatl in Mexico through a grant in 1930.
Why was Benjamin Lee Whorf interested in the community around Sapir?
Benjamin Lee Whorf joined the circle of Sapir's students, among them Morris Swadesh, Mary Haas and other luminary linguists. He took a central role, and was well respected.
Was Benjamin Lee Whorf influenced by anyone at Yale?
Edward Sapir, his American Indian Linguistics professor, had a profound influence on Benjamin Lee Whorf's thinking.

Question: What is the Humboldtian tradition?
Self-contained rewrite: What is the Humboldtian tradition?