Deck 5: Language

Question 1

Men and women report using language for different purposes.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Emotive words are words that sound as if they're describing something, but are really announcing the speaker's attitude toward it.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

All human languages are symbolic in nature.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

A perfectly worded "I" message delivered with total sincerity will ensure that the other person will not get defensive.

Question 5

Syntactic rules govern the grammatical aspects of a language.

Question 6

Your text confirms the stereotype that women are more likely to talk about feelings and relationships than men are.

Question 7

Linguistic relativism is a notion that holds that our cultural worldview is shaped and reflected by the language spoken by its members.

Question 8

Inferential statements are conclusions arrived at from an interpretation of evidence.

Question 9

Relative words gain their meaning from comparison.

Question 10

Equivocal words are words that can be interpreted in more than one way.

Question 11

"I'm rather upset" is more powerful language than "I'm upset."

Question 12

The U.S.is a high-context language culture.

Question 13

A formal language culture will have different vocabularies for different sexes, levels of social status, different types of occasions, or degrees of intimacy.

Question 14

Women use more indirect and elaborate ways of talking than men do.

Question 15

Research shows that linguistic differences are more often a function of gender roles than they are of biological sex.

Question 16

"No" is so clear and short that it is one of the few words that is never misinterpreted in any intercultural exchange.

Question 17

Statements that contain the word "is" ("Luis is an active guy")may lead to the assumption that people are unchanging.

Question 18

Men discuss with other men the same conversation topics that women discuss with other women.

Question 19

American Sign Language is considered a literal system of communication rather than symbolic.

Question 20

High-level abstractions can be useful as verbal shorthand between two people who know each other well.

Question 21

Speech can build and demonstrate solidarity with others.

Question 22

Low-context cultures use language to maintain social harmony.

Question 23

An example of divergence is when people feel more connected on the job because their swearing patterns match those of their bosses.

Question 24

Syntactic misunderstandings arise when people assign different meanings to the same words.

Question 25

Language can shape our perceptions of the world.

Question 26

Studies show that people tend to negatively judge other people who have unusual names or unusual spellings of common names.

Question 27

"I" language offers a more accurate and less provocative way to express a complaint.

Question 28

Low-level abstract language can lead to blanket judgments and stereotyping.

Question 29

Pragmatic rules are stated rules that help us make sense of another's messages.

Question 30

The process of static evaluation implies that people or things are unchanging.

Question 31

Problems can arise when we label our opinions as facts.

Question 32

Speakers of expressive and elaborate languages, such as Arabic, probably do not value silence as much as speakers with a more succinct style.

Question 33

Communication scholars use the term "cooperation" to describe the way conversation operates when everyone involved uses the same set of pragmatic rules.

Question 34

There are never times when equivocal language can be useful.

Question 35

One way in which language styles vary across cultures is whether they are elaborate or succinct.

Question 36

Communication researchers call the process of adapting one's speech style to match that of others convergence.

Question 37

There are some occasions when less powerful forms of speech can enhance a speaker's effectiveness.

Question 38

Researchers have found that "I/we" combinations have a good chance of being received favorably.

Question 39

After years of research, it has been concluded that names have little effect on how others think of us and the way we act.

Question 40

Affiliation can be seen in online communities by increased use of "we."

Question 41

Succinctness in language is most extreme in cultures where

A)silence is valued.
B)the language system is limited.
C)more than one language is spoken.
D)verbal fluency is admired.
E)the use of equivocation is high.

Question 42

In cultures that stress formality in language,

A)using correct grammar is most important.
B)language use defines social position.
C)the people talk less.
D)there are fewer real friendships.
E)the people are too stiff to really communicate.

Question 43

A speaker's willingness to take responsibility for his/her thoughts or feelings can be indicated by the use of

A)singular terms.
B)"I" language.
C)"you" language.
D)consequence terms.
E)euphemisms.

Question 44

A behavioral description should include

A)who is involved.
B)in what circumstances the behavior occurs.
C)the specific behaviors.
D)All of these choices are correct.
E)None of these choices are correct.

Question 45

When a speaker uses powerful speech pattern he/she

A)tends to be received more positively in culture like Mexico.
B)stresses relational goals over content goals.
C)may undermine relational goals to accomplish short term goals.
D)will use very polite phrases and intensifiers.
E)will be successful in all communication encounters.

Question 46

In a low-context language culture, you will notice

A)indirect expression of opinions.
B)use of silence admired.
C)less reliance on explicit verbal messages.
D)self-expression valued.
E)ambiguity admired.

Question 47

Which of the following is the least abstract definition of a successful college experience?

A)a better understanding of Western civilization
B)completion of the requirements listed on page 24 of the college catalog with a grade-point average of 2.0 or higher
C)the ability to express oneself clearly, understand principles of the arts and sciences, and have some expertise in a chosen field of study
D)both intellectual and social adjustment
E)the ability to contribute to society

Question 48

"People from the East Coast are rude." Which of the following abstraction problems is illustrated by this statement?

A)stereotyping
B)confusing others
C)confusing yourself
D)being too frank
E)bicoastalism

Question 49

"We" language

A)may accomplish the goals of "I" language and sound less egotistical.
B)should be avoided when expressing personal feelings and thoughts.
C)can signal closeness and cohesiveness with others.
D)can offend another person in some circumstances.
E)All of these choices are correct.

Question 50

When we study semantic rules, we learn that

A)words mean a lot in and of themselves.
B)understanding occurs as a result of users agreeing on the same meanings for words.
C)words typically can be interpreted in only one way.
D)meanings rest more in words than in the people who use them.
E)All of these choices are correct are true about semantic rules.

Question 51

All of the following statements about gender and language are true except which one?

A)Men's speech is more direct and task-oriented.
B)Women's speech is more indirect and elaborate.
C)Female speech often contains statements of sympathy and empathy.
D)Women interrupt men more in mixed-sex conversations.
E)Women are more likely to use more intensive adverbs than men.

Question 52

Expressions of disapproval are likely to be received more positively if they include a disclaimer such as "I don't mean to sound judgmental but…"

Question 53

According to research, a tentative and accommodating speech style has few, if any, advantages.

Question 54

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is the best known declaration of

A)convergence.
B)linguistic relativism.
C)identity.
D)emotive theory.
E)pragmatism.

Question 55

Turning words into numbers helps make them more concrete and specific.

Question 56

Using a similar language style while instant messaging increases the chances of a couple's relationship continuing by 50%.

Question 57

Swearing has no useful role in the workplace.

Question 58

Which of the following is a way to avoid the abstraction in the statement "I've got to be a better student"?

A)"I'm going to spend two hours a day studying."
B)"I'm going to try harder."
C)"I'm going to get some help from some places on campus."
D)"My mother and father will be happier if I'm a better student."
E)"Instructors like students who try hard."

Question 59

Equivocal words

A)have more than one commonly accepted definition.
B)are low-level abstractions.
C)mean the same to all people and are thus redundant.
D)have meanings one person can guess at but another can't.
E)have no known nonverbal signals to accompany them.

Question 60

If I say "here the drink bring," I have violated a(n)__________ rule of our language.

A)initial
B)syntactic
C)median
D)semantic
E)final

Question 61

You think Angelique's behavior is "arrogant." Your friend describes the same behavior as "self-confidence." An argument over who is right would revolve around

A)syntactic rules.
B)the language of responsibility.
C)emotive language.
D)sequential placement.
E)linguistic determinism.

Question 62

What type of misunderstanding occurs when people assign different meanings to the same words?

A)syntactic
B)pragmatic
C)semantic
D)disruptive
E)linguistic relativism

Question 63

"Frank is lazy" is an example of which semantic problem?

A)equivocation
B)relative language
C)abstraction
D)static evaluation
E)none of the above

Question 64

If you take an "easy" class your friend recommended and find it "hard," you have had semantic problems due to

A)euphemistic language.
B)relative words.
C)equivocal words.
D)fiction terms.
E)semantic distracters.

Question 65

Convergent speech patterns

A)demonstrate superiority over others.
B)express power and a sense of formality.
C)demonstrate affiliation with one another.
D)always utilize "I" statements instead of "you" statements.
E)None of these choices are correct.

Question 66

Which of the following statements best illustrates a fact?

A)"It's clear you shouldn't have said that."
B)"Fact number one: you said a dumb thing."
C)"It's a fact that playing mind games always backfires."
D)"I heard you tell Tim you weren't interested."
E)"You should have thought about the result of saying you weren't interested before you opened your mouth."

Question 67

Making an inference is a reasonable thing to do relationally as long as

A)you make a number of them.
B)you wait for the other to infer also.
C)the other person understands you.
D)you identify the inference to the other person.
E)you first describe the observable behavior that led to the inference.

Question 68

A culture is unavoidably shaped and reflected by the language its members speak.This concept is

A)high-context culture.
B)low-context culture.
C)cultural anthropology.
D)cognitive determinism.
E)linguistic relativism.

Question 69

How could you increase the power of the statement "I, uh, think I'd be a little happier if you could make it on time.Okay?"?

A)Revise the sequential placement.
B)Use perception checking.
C)Use more disclaimers.
D)Add a tag question.
E)None of the above increases the power of the statement.

Question 70

Communication researchers call the process of adapting one's speech style to match that of others

A)identity.
B)convergence.
C)divergence.
D)semanticism.
E)agreement.

Question 71

The grammar of a language is governed by

A)semantic rules.
B)pragmatic rules.
C)syntactic rules.
D)relative rules.
E)none of these choices.

Question 72

A female employee may rely on __________ to interpret her older male boss's statement, "You look very nice in that sweater."

A)semantic rules
B)syntactic rules
C)pragmatic rules
D)abstract language
E)relative words

Question 73

You tell a friend "I wish you'd be direct instead of hinting around," but your friend responds by denying that she/he hints.One way to help resolve the issue is to

A)describe the hinting according to the dictionary.
B)give a behavioral description of how your mother hints so your friend gets the idea.
C)specifically describe the friend's hinting behavior when it occurs.
D)describe all at once the many times that the troublesome behavior occurs.
E)None of these choices are correct will help resolve the issue.

Question 74

Of the following statements, which is not characteristic of powerful speech?

A)It can help candidates in job interviews.
B)It often results in a favorable impression.
C)It is always preferred over less powerful forms of speech.
D)It gets different results in different cultures.
E)All of these choices are characteristic of powerful speech.

Question 75

Of the following, what is not characteristic of pragmatic rules?

A)They are almost always stated.
B)They help us interpret messages in a given context.
C)They aren't found in a dictionary.
D)They govern how speech operates in everyday interaction.
E)All of these choices are characteristic of pragmatic rules.

Question 76

Misunderstandings that revolve around equivocal and relative language can all be clarified by

A)clearer punctuation of perceptual events.
B)more interpersonal and less impersonal communication.
C)replacing abstract terms with concrete ones.
D)static definitions.
E)sequential placement.

Question 77

Saying "You're a fantastic person" rather than "You spent your whole weekend helping me move" is an example of

A)emotive language.
B)static evaluation.
C)higher-level abstraction.
D)relative language.
E)pragmatism.

Question 78

Highly abstract language can lead to which of the following problems?

A)stereotyping
B)misunderstandings
C)blanket judgments
D)confusion
E)all of these choices are correct

Question 79

A friend told you there was a "good chance" that he would come to your party.When he didn't show up you were upset.The semantic problem you experienced was due to

A)emotive language.
B)relative language.
C)equivocal words.
D)euphemisms.
E)semantic distracters.

Question 80

Syntactic rules of language govern

A)the grammar of a language.
B)the ways in which speakers respond to symbols.
C)the words that become slang.
D)the creation of new tactics.
E)the way that semanticists create meaning.