Question 1

Historical linguists study similarities and differences between languages spoken today in order to make inferences about long-term linguistic change.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

The word pair, _________, is a minimal pair in Standard American English.

Accepted Answer

A) pit/bit 
B) fat/get 
C) goof/off 
D) ped/pedal 
E) gal/legal

Question 3

In a stratified society, people who do not speak the prestige dialect still tend to accept the prestige as standard or superior, which is

Accepted Answer

A) diglossia. 
B) creolization. 
C) symbolic domination. 
D) hypercorrection. 
E) style shifting.

Question 4

Phonology is the study of speech sounds.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

In his study of New York department store employees, Labov found that

Accepted Answer

A) /r/ was pronounced most frequently by workers in the upper-middle-class store (Saks). 
B) /r/ was pronounced most frequently by workers in the middle-class store (Macy's). 
C) /r/ was pronounced most frequently by workers in the lower-middle-class store (S.Klein's). 
D) workers in all three stores pronounced /r/ with the same frequency. 
E) none of the workers pronounced /r/.

Question 6

Creole languages are commonly found in regions where different linguistic groups came into contact with one another.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Define focal vocabularies, and explain why they exist.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Define focal vocabularies, and explain why they...

Question 8

A close relationship between languages does not necessarily mean that their speakers are biologically or culturally related.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

The study of communication through body movements, stances, gestures, and expressions is

Accepted Answer

A) ethnosemantics. 
B) biosemantics. 
C) protolinguistics. 
D) phonemics. 
E) kinesics.

Question 10

__________ refers to languages that have descended from the same ancestral language.

Accepted Answer

A) Descendant languages 
B) Sibling languages 
C) Daughter languages 
D) Brother languages 
E) Protolanguages

Question 11

Linguistic displacement is the

Accepted Answer

A) ability to use the rules of language to produce entirely new expressions. 
B) lexical difference between a protolanguage and a daughter language. 
C) ability to respond to environmental stimuli. 
D) linguistic dimension of culture shock. 
E) ability to talk about things that are not present.

Question 12

Sociolinguists study

Accepted Answer

A) bipedalism 
B) speech in its social context. 
C) the universal grammar of language. 
D) cognitive capacity for language. 
E) cross-cultural phonemic distinctions.

Question 13

The term diglossia refers to linguistic groups that use only two basic color terms (black and white or dark and light).

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

A mutation in the ___________ has been found between humans and chimpanzees that is likely responsible for the human capability for speech.

Accepted Answer

A) FOXP2 gene 
B) microcephalin gene 
C) hyoid 
D) lungs 
E) tongue

Question 15

Focal vocabularies are found only in non-Western societies.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Studies investigating differences in the way men and women talk are examples of sociolinguistics.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that speakers of simple languages are unable to think in sophisticated ways.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

The statement, __________, is not true.

Accepted Answer

A) "nonhuman primate calls occur in response to environmental stimuli." 
B) "nonhuman primate calls demonstrate linguistic productivity." 
C) "nonhuman primate calls are automatic and cannot be combined." 
D) "nonhuman primate calls vary in intensity and duration." 
E) "nonhuman primate call systems produce a limited number of sounds."

Question 19

__________ refers to all of a language's morphemes and their meanings.

Accepted Answer

A) Syntax 
B) Lexicon 
C) Ethnosemantics 
D) Ethnoscience 
E) Phonology

Question 20

Most English speakers recognize the phonetic contrast between the [ph] in pin and the [p] in spin.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 10: Language and Communication

Historical linguists study similarities and differences between languages spoken today in order to make inferences about long-term linguistic change.

The word pair, _________, is a minimal pair in Standard American English.

In a stratified society, people who do not speak the prestige dialect still tend to accept the prestige as standard or superior, which is

Phonology is the study of speech sounds.

In his study of New York department store employees, Labov found that

Creole languages are commonly found in regions where different linguistic groups came into contact with one another.

Define focal vocabularies, and explain why they exist.

A close relationship between languages does not necessarily mean that their speakers are biologically or culturally related.

The study of communication through body movements, stances, gestures, and expressions is

__________ refers to languages that have descended from the same ancestral language.

Linguistic displacement is the

Sociolinguists study

The term diglossia refers to linguistic groups that use only two basic color terms (black and white or dark and light).

A mutation in the ___________ has been found between humans and chimpanzees that is likely responsible for the human capability for speech.

Focal vocabularies are found only in non-Western societies.

Studies investigating differences in the way men and women talk are examples of sociolinguistics.

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that speakers of simple languages are unable to think in sophisticated ways.

The statement, __________, is not true.

__________ refers to all of a language's morphemes and their meanings.

Most English speakers recognize the phonetic contrast between the [p^h] in pin and the [p] in spin.