Exam 4: Language

Terms like the "N-word," as the text suggests,carry a wide range of meaning.In a similar way,use of the term "queer" has taken on many different shades of meaning over the past decade.The use of such terms illustrates the ways in which

The efforts to preserve the Native American Lakota language,spoken by about fifty thousand people in the United States,has led to

American women are far more likely than men to distinguish between colors like teal and turquoise,or magenta and purple.This is an example of

According to your textbook,a particular language variation is associated with wealth,success,education,and power.These language variations with elevated status are known as prestige languages.Using the concepts of cultural capital and prestige language,discuss two examples of how nonstandard variations of languages can be linked to particular positions with a culture.How are linguistic standards established or reinforced? Explain why it has been said that a dialect is a language without a navy or an army.

Humpback whales have been shown to communicate with remarkable complexity and have distinctly different types of tunes and accents that differ across different pods.Akin to human musical abilities,this might suggest that whales may indeed include what in their communications?

We sometimes "signal" interest in someone without the use of words,which is part of how we establish a relationship with another person,possibly a lasting one.How would an anthropologist describe our behavior?

Changes in the immigration laws in Arizona have also given rise to changes in the way students are educated,often placing restrictions on the language that can be used in the classroom.This suggests that language,in addition to being a system of symbols,is also a

The text discusses code switching,an action in which the speaker uses different linguistic variations according to differing cultural contexts.The example in the text is a note from a student to the author of the text,and the example is deconstructed.Discuss how,in this example,the appearance of some of the linguistic properties has been changed by the use of technology.What are some of the ways that language variation can emerge as the result of different technology use? How do these "shifts," which often originate as the result of the properties of the tool itself (smartphone,laptop,and other digital devices)change not just language use and style but also the cultural context and,by extension,the opportunities for code switching?

In 2009,newly elected president Barack Obama visited a famous eatery in Washington,D.C. ;after paying his tab,he was asked by the cashier if he wanted his change.The president's reply was,"Nah,we straight." The president was using a form of

What do linguistic anthropologists think about how women and men use language in different ways? What are the two models that explain why language is used in gendered ways,and what are examples that illustrate their hypotheses? Which one of these two models is more compelling to you,and why?

To investigate the focal vocabulary of a language in a particular community,a linguistic anthropologist might

According to your textbook,preserving endangered languages is an important goal of linguistic anthropologists.Discuss the potentially ambiguous role that information technology and the digital divide may play in language preservation.Using examples from the text,assess the potential benefits that may accrue as members of less prominent languages gain access to community technology and cross over the "digital divide." Consider how the tendency of prominent languages to crowd out speakers of lesser-spoken languages may be accelerated with increased cultural contact and exposure to global languages.How is the digital divide related to issues of language extinction?

Archaeological evidence that offers clues to the origins of human language includes the

While anthropologists have gone to lengths to show that languages are linguistically equal,languages often exist in a hierarchical manner within a given place.Compare how language and power intersect by discussing how nonprestige languages may be marginalized,such as in the case of Spanish speakers in the United States.How are boundaries between language policed,and what happens when speakers "code switch" in different cultural contexts?

According to the textbook,the development of social media technologies such as Facebook and YouTube and ubiquitous access to information networks through smartphones have transformed digital activism.Discuss how digital activism has taken place in recent years by comparing democratic protests that have taken place in China to the events of the Arab Spring or the Occupy movement in the United States.How have activists challenged authorities in government and corporations by using novel methods?

Anthropologist Laura Bohannan discovered in her attempt to translate a classic text from English literature that

Part of how we establish intimate relationships with others stems from the words we use,but sometimes words cannot convey everything.At such a time,we may unknowingly resort to a system of body movements as well as a collection of noises and tone of voice in order to fully convey our

A historical linguist would be most likely to study

Linguistic anthropologists would label new words that have emerged during the digital age,such as mouse,modem,download,and e-mail,as part of our generation's ________ vocabulary.

Words such as mouse,download,and e-mail are all a kind of