Do our beliefs influence our language use?

    While I was in California, I watched The Help.  In the movie, the southern women often talked down to their maids, because they believed they were superior to them.  The black maids were threatened and insulted by their bosses.  One of the women, Celia, who was disliked by the others, talked to her maid like she was a friend.  Celia didn't believe she was "better" than her maid, and even served her food at the end of the movie. People's beliefs strongly influence their language use. The women in The Help talked to the maids differently, depending on how they viewed black people.  Some conservative religious people don't swear a lot because it is against their beliefs. Non-confrontational people often won't use rude or harsh words because they don't wan't to get into fights.