Languages differ not only in grammar and sound; they differ in the available means of describing earthly phenomena!.
For example, in Chinese as well as in Tagalog there is no distinction between males and females - no 'he' or 'she' as there is in English!.
Languages also differ in the way objects are grouped and which things receive names!. For example, in Dutch there is a distinction between 'kennen' and 'weten', which is similar in German!. This disctinction doesn't exist in English, there is only 'to know'!. Something close to it in English would be: 'to be familiar/acquainted with someone' versus 'to possess knowledge of something'!.
Simple differences, and some would call them trivial!. Yet thought and ideas necessarily use language - often the language we were taught from birth - and all of its peculiarities and restrictions!. Language also provides shortcuts and images of people and things!. The image of the 'artist' as a person brings qualities to mind!. There is no such bundle of qualities of an artistic person in Chinese, for one!.
Does language precede and shape our external world!?
[Think of it this way: would your view of the world be different if your first language was Chinese or Russian!?]
Please don't think that I just want you to agree with this view!. I'm not even sure that I do!. Any arguments on both sides are welcome, of course!.Www@QuestionHome@Com