Post edited 1:34PM – Jan-05-10 by Glenn

Since I have become acquainted with a few of those discussed, but not chosen, I now have a list of several that I will avoid at all cost.

I do think that the question of interplay between language and culture / thought is an interesting one. I was just discussing with a colleague the way that Chinese family relationship words, complex and detailed as they are, make sense in the culture where birth order and gender are so significant.

I remain agnostic on which came first, the chicken or the egg. It is clear that language influences culture, and vice versa. I think there is clear evidence that changes in culture have resulted in changes in language to reflect the culture. While language may well increase a culture's inertia, preserving distinctions and outlooks of the past beyond their usefulness, it is unclear to me that a change in language actually effected a cultural change. Such a thing would be very difficult to prove.