Deck 9: Communication

Question 1

Human language has an infinite capacity for generating very efficient messages, a feature called

A)displacement.
B)mode of communication.
C)condensation.
D)abundance.
E)productivity.

Answer 1

productivity.

Question 2

One thing that all languages have is

A)the same sounds.
B)similar words for key concepts.
C)the same focal vocabularies.
D)a shared origin in Central Asia.
E)grammar/syntax.

Answer 2

grammar/syntax.

Question 3

Tok Pisin is one of the official national languages of

A)the Philippines.
B)India.
C)Papua New Guinea.
D)Sudan.
E)none of the above: Tok Pisin is a local dialect, not a national language.

Answer 3

Papua New Guinea.

Question 4

Sounds that make a critical difference in a language are referred to as

A)structures.
B)phonemes.
C)grammar/syntax.
D)focal sounds.
E)essential elements.

Question 5

Language endangerment is judged to exist when a language has fewer than

A)50,000 speakers.
B)10,000 speakers.
C)100,000 speakers.
D)25,000 speakers.
E)15,000 speakers.

Question 6

A reason for the emergence of linguistic anthropology in the United States is the

A)interest in recording disappearing languages.
B)fact that so many different languages are spoken in the U.S.
C)ever-increasing need to find jobs for anthropologists.
D)inspiration from primate studies that revealed how chimpanzees could learn certain aspects of human language.
E)none of the above: this subfield began in Europe just like all the others.

Question 7

A key marker of gender coding in spoken English in the U.S. is

A)women's tendency to lower their intonation at the end of a sentence.
B)women's greater use of paralanguage compared to men.
C)women's greater use of tag questions.
D)women's more frequent use of eye contact.
E)men's tendency to speak more formally and politely.

Question 8

The point at which a language no longer has competent users is referred to as

A)linguistic relativism.
B)displacement.
C)language decay.
D)language extinction.
E)linguistic determinism.

Question 9

The word khipu refers to a

A)trade language that emerged in Papua New Guinea.
B)method of recording the seasons so that rituals could be performed regularly.
C)a female form of writing in Japanese literature.
D)method of record keeping without the use of writing.
E)the pattern of turn-taking in conversations between mothers and children in Samoa.

Question 10

In Japan, the length of the kimono sleeve indicates

A)age.
B)gender.
C)formality.
D)marital status.
E)all of the above.

Question 11

Language refers to

A)speech.
B)words.
C)communication based on arbitrary symbols.
D)written forms of communication.
E)all of the above.

Question 12

The culture which appears to have the simplest form of grammar is the

A)Yanomami.
B)Nacirema.
C)Pirahã.
D)Bosnians.
E)Han Chinese.

Question 13

The feature of human language that allows people to talk about the past and the future is referred to as

A)productivity.
B)non-verbal communication.
C)sign language.
D)grammar.
E)displacement.

Question 14

Among the Apache, in situations of ambiguous relationships between people

A)silence is maintained.
B)certain standard conversations are carried out for five to ten minutes.
C)it is appropriate to "break the ice" with the offer of a drink of some sort.
D)a handshake is followed by rapid chatter.
E)avoidance is maintained until someone else can provide a formal introduction.

Question 15

Many of the terms the Saami use to describe snow are related to

A)conditions for reindeer herding.
B)visibility conditions.
C)skiing conditions.
D)all of the above.
E)none of the above.

Question 16

Among the Western Apache, silence is

A)used in situations of ambiguous social relationships.
B)expected when someone is giving and receiving a gift.
C)more frequently used by women than by men.
D)more frequently used by children than by adults.
E)frequently used in communication with White people.

Question 17

Within a particular language, an especially rich cluster of related words is referred to as a

A)creole.
B)dialect.
C)focal vocabulary.
D)grammar.
E)pidgin.

Question 18

A first-generation "contact" language is called a

A)paralanguage.
B)dialect.
C)pidgin.
D)displaced language.
E)creole.

Question 19

The system of human communication based on a systematic set of symbols and signs with learned and shared meanings is called

A)turn-taking.
B)productivity.
C)displacement.
D)grammar.
E)language.

Question 20

The claim that a person's language determines the person's thought is called

A)mental determinism.
B)sociolinguistics.
C)psychological anthropology.
D)cultural materialism.
E)Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.

Question 21

The Japanese terms for box lunch, "bentoo" and "obentoo," reflect gender code differences.

Question 22

Linguistic anthropologists do not study deaf communities, because people who are deaf have no real language.

Question 23

In South Africa, women use more hand gestures to communicate than men do.

Question 24

In spoken English, a tag question is more often used by men than women.

Question 25

Language decay occurs when speakers abandon their language in favor of another language.

Question 26

As yet, anthropologists have avoided studying aspects of the mass media.

Question 27

When making a retroflex sound, the tongue is placed against the roof of the mouth.

Question 28

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is an example of a cultural materialist theory.

Question 29

In Hindi, aspiration is an important phonetic feature.

Question 30

Research suggests that the reports of war correspondents in El Salvador were influenced by the agencies they wrote for.

Question 31

Historical linguistics originated in the 18th century after Sir William Jones discovered similarities in the vocabulary and syntax of Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin.

Question 32

Vocal communication among nonhuman primates is referred to as

A)call system.
B)nonverbal communication.
C)sign language.
D)phonetic.
E)prosody.

Question 33

Culturally patterned verbal language is referred to as

A)communication.
B)intonation.
C)discourse.
D)indirect response.
E)linguistic determinism.

Question 34

The language of the Proto-Indo-Europeans is probably the earliest form of all large language families including Sanskrit and English.

Question 35

Advertisers target Latino markets by using the trope of individualism.

Question 36

The adult male bonobo who is skilled at symbolic communication with human researchers is

A)Bonzo.
B)Lucy.
C)Hobbit.
D)Kanzi.
E)none of the above: no bonobo has achieved skills in symbolic communication.

Question 37

Language may be signed, spoken, or written.

Question 38

Displacement is a key feature of nonhuman primate communication.

Question 39

Productivity is the ability to create an infinite range of understandable expressions from a finite set of rules.

Question 40

Spanish is an example of a global language.

Question 41

One kind of snow that the Saami distinguish, roughly translated into English, is __________.

Question 42

Sounds that make a meaningful difference in a language are called __________.

Question 43

When Muslim women in Kuwait wear a headscarf, the meaning it conveys is that the woman is an immigrant from a poor, Arab culture.

Question 44

According to the textbook, Muslim women in Egypt and Kuwait signal aspects of their religious identity through __________.

Question 45

Two examples of loan words in English are __________ and __________.

Question 46

Kogals are __________.

Question 47

The ability of human language to generate efficient, meaning rich utterances is referred to as __________.

Question 48

A key value among the Pirahã people is to __________.

Question 49

What is language and what is communication? How does nonhuman primate communication differ from that of humans?

Question 50

In English, Textese involves making words shorter and using several stock phrases that are widely recognized.

Question 51

Define critical discourse analysis and give an example.

Question 52

Languages that are spoken in diverse cultural contexts, worldwide, are called __________.

Question 53

One region of the world where creole languages are common is __________.

Question 54

Among the Apache, __________ is an important form of communication in situations of social ambiguity.

Question 55

Two key features of human communication are __________ and __________.

Question 56

In 1996 the Oakland, California school board recognized AAE as a primary language.

Question 57

What is the difference between a pidgin and a creole?

Question 58

The Pirahã people live in __________.

Question 59

The study of the meaning of words, phrases, and sentences in particular cultural contexts is called

Question 60

The similarities in the word for "father" in many European and South Asian languages suggest the existence of an early parent language called __________.

Question 61

Issues of power and politics (interpersonal as well as public) intersect with language/communication. Discuss three examples of such an intersection, using material in the textbook or from class.

Question 62

What is an example of communication through dress?

Question 63

Define global language and discuss which languages currently qualify for this categorization. How does this category relate to global political/economic realities? What other languages are likely to become global languages in the near future?

Question 64

Define a tag question and give an example of one.

Question 65

What are three major topics that linguistic anthropologists have studied? What is an example of an important finding in each area?

Question 66

Explain how supporters of language preservation disagree with those who take a Darwinian view of linguistic heritage.

Question 67

Microcultures based on race, class, gender and age often have distinct communication styles. Choose two of these dimensions and provide examples for each; specify the microcultures you choose to discuss.

Question 68

What is sociolinguistics?

Question 69

What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?

Question 70

What is the difference between language decay and language extinction?

Question 71

How does the use of language (verbal or non-verbal) relate to a person's or group's sense of and expression of identity? Provide three examples from the textbook.

Question 72

What is the background of the Saami people and key features of their culture? What challenges are they facing today, especially in terms of their cultural heritage and language?

Question 73

What does critical media anthropology encompass? Give two examples of critical media anthropology studies and the conclusions drawn from these studies.