Question 1

A particular dialect generally becomes accepted as a "standard" because

Accepted Answer

A)  it is genetically superior to others.
B)  it changes more rapidly than others.
C)  it is used by the socially "right" people.
D)  it changes less slowly than others. C

Question 2

When the Oakland School board wanted to establish instruction in Ebonics, in addition to English, they cited research arguing that Ebonics was a

Accepted Answer

A)  creole, descended from ancestral African languages.
B)  pidgin, developed in West Africa during slavery.
C)  pig Latin, used in the Comoro Islands by children.
D)  dialect, with high prestige in Chicago and Oakland. A

Question 3

Nonaccommodating bilingualism is a very interesting response to a particular context. Describe a case of nonaccommodating bilingualism, and identify the context of this practice.

Accepted Answer

Nonaccommodating bilingualism refers to the practice of individuals or groups refusing to adapt their language use to accommodate others who do not speak the same language. One example of nonaccommodating bilingualism can be seen in the context of a workplace where employees who are fluent in both English and Spanish refuse to speak English when interacting with monolingual English-speaking colleagues.

For instance, in a manufacturing plant with a diverse workforce, some employees may choose to speak only Spanish during their breaks and social interactions, even though they are fully capable of speaking English. This can create a sense of exclusion and division within the workplace, as it may lead to misunderstandings and hinder effective communication among employees.

The context of this practice can be influenced by various factors such as cultural identity, power dynamics, and personal preferences. In some cases, individuals may feel more comfortable expressing themselves in their native language and may resist adapting to the dominant language of the workplace. Additionally, there may be a sense of pride and solidarity in maintaining their language and cultural heritage, leading to the practice of nonaccommodating bilingualism.

Overall, nonaccommodating bilingualism can have both positive and negative implications, depending on the specific context and the perspectives of those involved. It is important to consider the impact of language practices on inclusivity and communication within diverse settings.

Question 4

Languages that cannot be classified into any existing language family are called

Accepted Answer

A)  language loners.
B)  language isolates.
C)  language conundrums.
D)  language lexicons.

Question 5

In 1996, the Oakland School board set off a controversy with a resolution to recognize AAVE (or "Ebonics" as a "primary language" of African American students in the district. Describe the support offered by linguistics for this resolution, and the obstacles which this resolution faced. In your opinion, can the support successfully challenge these obstacles?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In 1996, the Oakland School board set...

Question 6

Using more than one dialect (or language)in a single conversation is referred to as

Accepted Answer

A)  codeswitching.
B)  portmanteau construction.
C)  code talking.
D)  dialectology.

Question 7

The splitting of the word hamburger into the morphemes ham and burger after it was borrowed from German into English is an example of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  diglossia
B)  voicing
C)  language degeneration
D)  reanalysis

Question 8

The borrowing of words such as rouge and garage from French into English is example of which of the following kinds of language change?

Accepted Answer

A)  internal change
B)  external change
C)  language degradation
D)  language stasis

Question 9

Recent reconstruction of Proto-Bantu suggests that it was first spoken in

Accepted Answer

A)  the Comoro Islands.
B)  Madagascar.
C)  the Sahel.
D)  the Cameroon region.

Question 10

Languages and dialects are more accurately described as flexible collections of linguistic practice rather than concrete unchanging entities

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Monolingualism is quite rare in countries throughout the world.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Internal change tends to be more slow and predictable than external change in language.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Cognates are

Accepted Answer

A)  words that can have more than one meaning depending on the individual.
B)  words with exactly the same pronunciation and meaning in different languages.
C)  words that are used by the elite members of a society to mark their status.
D)  words related by descent from a common language.

Question 14

Briefly describe the process of recreating a proto-language. Explain what we can hypothesize as part of this process, and why we must mark proto-language morphemes with an asterisk rather than transcribing them as we do living languages.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Briefly describe the process of recreating a...

Question 15

Although languages generally change very slowly, one example of rapid change in language is the development of

Accepted Answer

A)  dialects.
B)  cognates.
C)  protolanguages.
D)  pidgins.

Question 16

A good understanding of the mechanisms of language change allows you to

Accepted Answer

A)  see how biology determines language use.
B)  understand the one-to-one connection between race and culture and language.
C)  reconstruct ancestral languages from sets of daughter languages.
D)  refute the Sapir/Whorf hypothesis.

Question 17

The use of Mock Spanish in the children's book series about the character Skippy Jon Jones

Accepted Answer

A)  cannot be racist, since it includes only positive images.
B)  is a topic of discussion to which linguistic anthropology can contribute.
C)  is of little interest to linguistic anthropologists, as it is not considered literature.
D)  uses only correct Spanish words and grammar and promotes true bilingualism.

Question 18

A pidgin is a language that

Accepted Answer

A)  developed as a trade language.
B)  developed from a creole.
C)  has no grammar.
D)  lasts many generations.

Question 19

In which model of bilingualism do people gradually abandon their bilingualism in favor of a dominant language?

Accepted Answer

A)  transitional bilingualism
B)  stable bilingualism
C)  codeswitching
D)  diglossia

Question 20

A situation where two or more varieties of the same language are used by speakers in different kinds of settings is called

Accepted Answer

A)  slang.
B)  diglossia.
C)  lexochronotology.
D)  bilingualism.

Exam 9: Change and Choice

A particular dialect generally becomes accepted as a "standard" because

When the Oakland School board wanted to establish instruction in Ebonics, in addition to English, they cited research arguing that Ebonics was a

Nonaccommodating bilingualism is a very interesting response to a particular context. Describe a case of nonaccommodating bilingualism, and identify the context of this practice.

Languages that cannot be classified into any existing language family are called

Using more than one dialect (or language) in a single conversation is referred to as

The splitting of the word hamburger into the morphemes ham and burger after it was borrowed from German into English is an example of which of the following?

The borrowing of words such as rouge and garage from French into English is example of which of the following kinds of language change?

Recent reconstruction of Proto-Bantu suggests that it was first spoken in

Languages and dialects are more accurately described as flexible collections of linguistic practice rather than concrete unchanging entities

Monolingualism is quite rare in countries throughout the world.

Internal change tends to be more slow and predictable than external change in language.

Cognates are

Briefly describe the process of recreating a proto-language. Explain what we can hypothesize as part of this process, and why we must mark proto-language morphemes with an asterisk rather than transcribing them as we do living languages.

Although languages generally change very slowly, one example of rapid change in language is the development of

A good understanding of the mechanisms of language change allows you to

The use of Mock Spanish in the children's book series about the character Skippy Jon Jones

A pidgin is a language that

In which model of bilingualism do people gradually abandon their bilingualism in favor of a dominant language?

A situation where two or more varieties of the same language are used by speakers in different kinds of settings is called