I have long heard the sound of the French language in the paintings, architecture, music and food of France. Likewise, the sound of the German language is in the paintings, architecture, music and food of Germany. And the sound of Italian is in the paintings, the architecture, music and food of Italy.

Do these connections exist only in my mind, or is there something there?

The chicken-and-egg question in my mind is this: Do the nuances of language shape the worldview and culture of those who speak it? Or do the worldview and culture shape the language? 

Another chicken-and-egg conundrum:Is culture altered by high-impact artistic expressions? (Books, music, paintings, photographs, cultural icons, etc.)  Or are those artistic expressions altered and shaped by the culture? 

Does art reflect culture, or does culture reflect art?

Aroo,
Roy