How choice of language affects thinking

In French, the word for bridge, pont, is masculine. In German, the word brücke is feminine. In this fascinating Newsweek article, the author describes how German newspaper accounts in 2004 of the newly built Viaduct de Millau mention its elegance and lightness, while French articles describe it as immense and powerful. A Stanford psychologist, Lera Boroditsky, has studied how language can affect thinking. There's an Aboriginal tribe who uses compass directions for spatial cues, and not surprisingly, these people show much better than average skill at dead reckoning. Imagine how your choice of words can affect others opinions. I find, for example, if I describe an assignment as particularly difficult, I am more likely to hear from students about how much trouble they had with it.