Language

Living with a French kid who has spent the last 10 years in Houston and a British guy whose mom remarried a good old fashion Texan man, my roommates and I all have interesting views on language and differences in various dialects. The three of us have had intense debates  about the evolution of language, beautiful languages vs ugly languages, easy accents to understand, bilingual cultures, and all sorts of other 'deep' conversations regarding language (clearly there is a nerdy side to us). Yet a dilemma the three of us agree on is whether languages shapes the way we view the world or whether the way we view the world determines language? For instance, in hot African nations, do they even have a word for "snowball"?

For advertising, understanding language and its connotations is especially important. In order to communicate a message effectively and appropriately, there has to be a deep appreciation and understanding for cultures. With the industry becoming cross-cultural, and with American agencies taking on prestigious international accounts, the importance of this cannot be underestimated. Anyyyyways, just some interesting food for thought (or for future account planners) : )