Question 1

Sociolinguistics has demonstrated that men lack the linguistic capacity to distinguish between slight changes in color.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

What term refers to languages that have descended from the same ancestral language?

Accepted Answer

A)  F2 languages 
B)  sibling languages 
C)  daughter languages 
D)  brother languages 
E)  protolanguages 
A)  F2 languages 
B)  sibling languages 
C)  daughter languages 
D)  brother languages 
E)  protolanguages

Question 3

What is the term for the ability to create new expressions by combining other expressions?

Accepted Answer

A)  displacement 
B)  diglossia 
C)  productivity 
D)  morphemic utility 
E)  phonemic utility 
A)  displacement 
B)  diglossia 
C)  productivity 
D)  morphemic utility 
E)  phonemic utility

Question 4

What is an example of what Bourdieu calls symbolic domination in the context of language use?

Accepted Answer

A)  in an egalitarian society, the promotion of linguistic diversity 
B)  pride in one's linguistic heritage, regardless of what the majority thinks 
C)  the fact that in a stratified society, even people who do not speak the prestige dialect tend to accept it as standard or superior 
D)  focal vocabulary contrasts among groups 
E)  Chomsky's insistence that the universal grammar defines all culture 
A)  in an egalitarian society, the promotion of linguistic diversity 
B)  pride in one's linguistic heritage, regardless of what the majority thinks 
C)  the fact that in a stratified society, even people who do not speak the prestige dialect tend to accept it as standard or superior 
D)  focal vocabulary contrasts among groups 
E)  Chomsky's insistence that the universal grammar defines all culture

Question 5

Sapir and Whorf argued that all humans share a single set of universal grammatical categories.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

In this chapter, an alternative to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that cultural changes lead to changes in language.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

What term refers to the existence of "high" and "low" dialects within a single language?

Accepted Answer

A)  displacement 
B)  diglossia 
C)  semantics 
D)  kinesics 
E)  lexicon 
A)  displacement 
B)  diglossia 
C)  semantics 
D)  kinesics 
E)  lexicon

Question 8

Research on the communication skills of nonhuman primates reveals their inability to refer to objects that are not immediately present in their environment, such as food and danger. The ability to describe things and events that are not present is called

Accepted Answer

A)  cultural transmission. 
B)  displacement. 
C)  linguistic imagination. 
D)  phonology. 
E)  productivity. 
A)  cultural transmission. 
B)  displacement. 
C)  linguistic imagination. 
D)  phonology. 
E)  productivity.

Question 9

Linguistic anthropologists also are interested in investigating the structure of language and how it varies across time and space. What is the study of the forms in which sounds combine to form words?

Accepted Answer

A)  phonology 
B)  syntax 
C)  morphology 
D)  lexicon 
E)  grammar 
A)  phonology 
B)  syntax 
C)  morphology 
D)  lexicon 
E)  grammar

Question 10

Problems arise with contemporary means of communication, such as texting and online messaging, because much of what we communicate is a nonverbal reflection of emotional states.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Linguistic productivity refers to the fixed linguistic structures that prevent the creation of new expressions.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

A key feature of language that helps explain anthropologists' continued interest in studying it is that it

Accepted Answer

A)  enables us to compare human and nonhuman primate linguistic grammars. 
B)  tells us a lot about the present, although nothing about the past. 
C)  is always changing. 
D)  helps them distinguish between the more and less evolved human races. 
E)  rarely changes, so it provides a good window into linguistic uses of the past. 
A)  enables us to compare human and nonhuman primate linguistic grammars. 
B)  tells us a lot about the present, although nothing about the past. 
C)  is always changing. 
D)  helps them distinguish between the more and less evolved human races. 
E)  rarely changes, so it provides a good window into linguistic uses of the past.

Question 13

What term refers to the arrangement and order of words into sentences?

Accepted Answer

A)  syntax 
B)  lexicon 
C)  grammar 
D)  phonology 
E)  morphology 
A)  syntax 
B)  lexicon 
C)  grammar 
D)  phonology 
E)  morphology

Question 14

Which of the following statements about chimpanzee call systems is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

A)  They consist of a limited number of sounds. 
B)  Like language, they include displacement and cultural transmission. 
C)  They consist of sounds that vary in intensity and duration. 
D)  Calls cannot be combined when multiple stimuli are present. 
E)  They are stimuli dependent. 
A)  They consist of a limited number of sounds. 
B)  Like language, they include displacement and cultural transmission. 
C)  They consist of sounds that vary in intensity and duration. 
D)  Calls cannot be combined when multiple stimuli are present. 
E)  They are stimuli dependent.

Question 15

What is pidgin?

Accepted Answer

A)  A partial language that results from primitive tribes' attempts to learn the language of a modern industrialized state. 
B)  A mixed language that develops to ease communication between members of different cultures in contact, usually in situations of trade or colonial domination. 
C)  A rhythmic sublanguage present in any human language as the result of a universally shared mutation. 
D)  A set of languages believed to be most like the original human language, spoken by a small population of Indian Ocean islanders. 
E)  Metalanguage developed by computer programmers that has yielded valuable insights into the workings of the human brain. 
A)  A partial language that results from primitive tribes' attempts to learn the language of a modern industrialized state. 
B)  A mixed language that develops to ease communication between members of different cultures in contact, usually in situations of trade or colonial domination. 
C)  A rhythmic sublanguage present in any human language as the result of a universally shared mutation. 
D)  A set of languages believed to be most like the original human language, spoken by a small population of Indian Ocean islanders. 
E)  Metalanguage developed by computer programmers that has yielded valuable insights into the workings of the human brain.

Question 16

The lexicon of a language is

Accepted Answer

A)  a dictionary containing all of its morphemes and their meanings. 
B)  its degree of complexity. 
C)  the set of rules that govern the written but not spoken language. 
D)  its symbolic and poetic value. 
E)  the range of speech sounds. 
A)  a dictionary containing all of its morphemes and their meanings. 
B)  its degree of complexity. 
C)  the set of rules that govern the written but not spoken language. 
D)  its symbolic and poetic value. 
E)  the range of speech sounds.

Question 17

Recent research on the origins of language suggests that a key mutation might have something to do with it. Comparing chimp and human genomes, it appears that

Accepted Answer

A)  chimps lack the tongue-rolling gene that all humans have, which might explain why they struggle to achieve clear speech. 
B)  chimps share with humans all the genetic propensities for language but lack the language-activation mutation. 
C)  a speech-friendly mutation occurred among Neandertals in Europe and spread to other human populations through gene flow. 
D)  the speech-friendly form of FOXP2 took hold in humans some 150,000 years ago, thus conferring selective advantages (linguistic and cultural abilities) that allowed those who had it to spread it, at the expense of those who did not. 
E)  the speech mutation occurred even before the hominin line split from the rest of the hominids. 
A)  chimps lack the tongue-rolling gene that all humans have, which might explain why they struggle to achieve clear speech. 
B)  chimps share with humans all the genetic propensities for language but lack the language-activation mutation. 
C)  a speech-friendly mutation occurred among Neandertals in Europe and spread to other human populations through gene flow. 
D)  the speech-friendly form of FOXP2 took hold in humans some 150,000 years ago, thus conferring selective advantages (linguistic and cultural abilities) that allowed those who had it to spread it, at the expense of those who did not. 
E)  the speech mutation occurred even before the hominin line split from the rest of the hominids.

Question 18

A sociolinguist studies

Accepted Answer

A)  the interaction of history and sociology. 
B)  cross-cultural comparisons of phonemic distinctions. 
C)  the universal grammar of language. 
D)  linguistic competence. 
E)  speech in its social context. 
A)  the interaction of history and sociology. 
B)  cross-cultural comparisons of phonemic distinctions. 
C)  the universal grammar of language. 
D)  linguistic competence. 
E)  speech in its social context.

Question 19

________ refers to the specialized set of terms and distinctions that are particularly important to certain groups.

Accepted Answer

A)  Syntactical vocabulary 
B)  Spatial vocabulary 
C)  Focal vocabulary 
D)  Vernacular vocabulary 
E)  Temporal vocabulary 
A)  Syntactical vocabulary 
B)  Spatial vocabulary 
C)  Focal vocabulary 
D)  Vernacular vocabulary 
E)  Temporal vocabulary

Question 20

Sociolinguists study linguistic performance by categorizing speakers as inadequate, competent, or highly proficient.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Sociolinguistics has demonstrated that men lack the linguistic capacity to distinguish between slight changes in color.

What term refers to languages that have descended from the same ancestral language?

What is the term for the ability to create new expressions by combining other expressions?

What is an example of what Bourdieu calls symbolic domination in the context of language use?

Sapir and Whorf argued that all humans share a single set of universal grammatical categories.

In this chapter, an alternative to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that cultural changes lead to changes in language.

What term refers to the existence of "high" and "low" dialects within a single language?

Research on the communication skills of nonhuman primates reveals their inability to refer to objects that are not immediately present in their environment, such as food and danger. The ability to describe things and events that are not present is called

Linguistic anthropologists also are interested in investigating the structure of language and how it varies across time and space. What is the study of the forms in which sounds combine to form words?

Problems arise with contemporary means of communication, such as texting and online messaging, because much of what we communicate is a nonverbal reflection of emotional states.

Linguistic productivity refers to the fixed linguistic structures that prevent the creation of new expressions.

A key feature of language that helps explain anthropologists' continued interest in studying it is that it

What term refers to the arrangement and order of words into sentences?

Which of the following statements about chimpanzee call systems is NOT true?

What is pidgin?

The lexicon of a language is

Recent research on the origins of language suggests that a key mutation might have something to do with it. Comparing chimp and human genomes, it appears that

A sociolinguist studies

________ refers to the specialized set of terms and distinctions that are particularly important to certain groups.

Sociolinguists study linguistic performance by categorizing speakers as inadequate, competent, or highly proficient.

What Is Anthropology

Culture

Method and Theory in Cultural Anthropology

Applying Anthropology

Ethnicity and Race

Making a Living

Political Systems

Gender

Families, Kinship, and Descent

Marriage

Religion

Arts, Media, and Sports

The World System and Colonialism

Anthropologys Role in a Globalizing World

Filters

Exam 5: Language and Communication

Sociolinguistics has demonstrated that men lack the linguistic capacity to distinguish between slight changes in color.

What term refers to languages that have descended from the same ancestral language?

What is the term for the ability to create new expressions by combining other expressions?

What is an example of what Bourdieu calls symbolic domination in the context of language use?

Sapir and Whorf argued that all humans share a single set of universal grammatical categories.

In this chapter, an alternative to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that cultural changes lead to changes in language.

What term refers to the existence of "high" and "low" dialects within a single language?

Research on the communication skills of nonhuman primates reveals their inability to refer to objects that are not immediately present in their environment, such as food and danger. The ability to describe things and events that are not present is called

Linguistic anthropologists also are interested in investigating the structure of language and how it varies across time and space. What is the study of the forms in which sounds combine to form words?

Problems arise with contemporary means of communication, such as texting and online messaging, because much of what we communicate is a nonverbal reflection of emotional states.

Linguistic productivity refers to the fixed linguistic structures that prevent the creation of new expressions.

A key feature of language that helps explain anthropologists' continued interest in studying it is that it

What term refers to the arrangement and order of words into sentences?

Which of the following statements about chimpanzee call systems is NOT true?

What is pidgin?

The lexicon of a language is

Recent research on the origins of language suggests that a key mutation might have something to do with it. Comparing chimp and human genomes, it appears that

A sociolinguist studies

________ refers to the specialized set of terms and distinctions that are particularly important to certain groups.

Sociolinguists study linguistic performance by categorizing speakers as inadequate, competent, or highly proficient.

What Is Anthropology

Culture

Method and Theory in Cultural Anthropology

Applying Anthropology

Ethnicity and Race

Making a Living

Political Systems

Gender

Families, Kinship, and Descent

Marriage

Religion

Arts, Media, and Sports

The World System and Colonialism

Anthropologys Role in a Globalizing World

Filters