Articulation

A perpetual concept on my mind is the power of language to shape and alter the way a person thinks.  If language can affect how I think, then it can certainly have influence on the person I become.  Simply having words to name things in the world affects how I perceive them.  Having vocabulary to describe the things I feel and experience allows me to reflect on them, as well as share my thoughts with others.  So, can speaking more than one language affect who a person becomes in a significant way?  Can growing up in a place with a particular dialect or accent (perhaps one that's different than that of the parents) change things in the personality or character of someone?  The language one uses--and hence the thoughts one has--affects the physiology of the brain.  So what are the ramifications of the choices we make regarding the language we teach our children?