You Just Discovered a Nomadic People Who Have Lived in the Desert

Multiple Choice

You just discovered a nomadic people who have lived in the desert their whole lives. Their language contains more than 20 words to describe the various types and textures of sand contained in their environment. According to research on linguistic determinism, what is the likely origin for all of these terms?

A) The people of the tribe created these terms in order to make finer distinctions among the various types of sand they encounter.
B) Their environment dictated that multiple terms be created to enhance their understanding.
C) Their thought processes enabled them to make finer distinctions among the different kinds of sand in their environment, so they were able to create a language that reflected their knowledge.
D) It is impossible to know if the language caused them to think differently about their environment, or the way they perceive their environment caused them to create their language.