Question 1

How can linguists determine the age of a language?

Accepted Answer

They can do this through examining core vocabulary and also through the use of glottochronology.

Question 2

Charles Hockett argues that the following two steps were critical in the evolution of human language:

Accepted Answer

A) Productivity and displacement. 
B) Displacement and blending. 
C) Blending and dual structure. 
D) Blending and duality of patterning. 
E) Duality of pattern and productivity. 
A) Productivity and displacement. 
B) Displacement and blending. 
C) Blending and dual structure. 
D) Blending and duality of patterning. 
E) Duality of pattern and productivity. D

Question 3

What arguments are there against the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis? Why is this approach not accepted by every linguist today?

Accepted Answer

There are technical difficulties in testing the hypothesis,and also all ideas generated in any language are ultimately translatable to another even if it requires more words to do so.

Question 4

According to Keith Basso,why do Apache Indians find white speech so offensive?

Accepted Answer

They consider White people to speak in i

Question 5

Which of the following statements is incorrect?

Accepted Answer

A) Human speech must be learned through a speech community. 
B) There is a critical period in which language acquisition must occur in humans. 
C) Children raised in isolation are never able to fully overcome this language disability. 
D) Children begin experimenting with actual language sounds by the age of 6 months. 
E) There is some limited biological basis for learning one language over another. 
A) Human speech must be learned through a speech community. 
B) There is a critical period in which language acquisition must occur in humans. 
C) Children raised in isolation are never able to fully overcome this language disability. 
D) Children begin experimenting with actual language sounds by the age of 6 months. 
E) There is some limited biological basis for learning one language over another.

Question 6

What success did Dr.Sue Savage-Rumbaugh have in teaching sign language to the bonobo chimpanzee Kanzi?

Accepted Answer

She taught him a vocabulary of about 150

Question 7

What are the three things that make human language unique?

Accepted Answer

The three unique asp

Question 8

Communication among nonhuman animals can be as complex as human language.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

According to Ferdinand de Saussure,language can best be separated into language (langue)and speech (parole).The difference between these two things is best described as:

Accepted Answer

A) Language is written and speech is spoken. 
B) Language is an arbitrary and abstract system of signs that exists independently of any speaker,speech is the actual performance of language by an individual speaker. 
C) Language is the actual performance of speech by an individual speaker,while speech is an arbitrary and abstract system of signs that exists independently of any speaker. 
D) Language is formal and proper;speech is often slang. 
E) Language does not exist if speech does not occur. 
A) Language is written and speech is spoken. 
B) Language is an arbitrary and abstract system of signs that exists independently of any speaker,speech is the actual performance of language by an individual speaker. 
C) Language is the actual performance of speech by an individual speaker,while speech is an arbitrary and abstract system of signs that exists independently of any speaker. 
D) Language is formal and proper;speech is often slang. 
E) Language does not exist if speech does not occur.

Question 10

The relationship between language and culture is illustrated by the fact that:

Accepted Answer

A) All languages have the same number of words. 
B) The most complex societies have the most complex languages. 
C) The vocabulary of a language emphasizes those features of the environment that are culturally most significant. 
D) All languages contain words for all aspects of the physical environment. 
E) Some words are the same in all cultures. 
A) All languages have the same number of words. 
B) The most complex societies have the most complex languages. 
C) The vocabulary of a language emphasizes those features of the environment that are culturally most significant. 
D) All languages contain words for all aspects of the physical environment. 
E) Some words are the same in all cultures.

Question 11

Some global forces do not lead toward linguistic homogenization.What two factors today do not show linguistic homogenization?

Accepted Answer

There is no one language that is spoken

Question 12

The English word "cats" has how many morphemes?

Accepted Answer

A) 4 morphemes: c-a-t-s. 
B) 2 morphemes: cat-s. 
C) No morphemes. 
D) 1 morpheme: cat. 
E) 3 morphemes: ca-t-s. 
A) 4 morphemes: c-a-t-s. 
B) 2 morphemes: cat-s. 
C) No morphemes. 
D) 1 morpheme: cat. 
E) 3 morphemes: ca-t-s.

Question 13

All the sounds used in the different languages of the world can be represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

In some cultures,the speech form used depends on the relative social status of the individuals speaking.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

What are the four components of any language?

Accepted Answer

They are phonology,m

Question 16

In English,bit and pit have different meanings.Thus,/b/ and /p/ are:

Accepted Answer

A) Words. 
B) Sounds. 
C) Morphemes. 
D) Structures. 
E) Phonemes. 
A) Words. 
B) Sounds. 
C) Morphemes. 
D) Structures. 
E) Phonemes.

Question 17

Even a child brought up in isolation will automatically be able to speak the language of his or her parents.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

What is the importance of a speech community for a human child?

Accepted Answer

Children learn the language of

Question 19

Human speech is infinitely productive.This means that:

Accepted Answer

A) Humans can combine words into new,meaningful utterances that they have never heard before. 
B) Human beings never become tired of talking. 
C) The more human beings talk,the more productive they are economically. 
D) Every normal adult can produce an infinite number of sounds. 
E) Human speech is always directed toward some productive purpose. 
A) Humans can combine words into new,meaningful utterances that they have never heard before. 
B) Human beings never become tired of talking. 
C) The more human beings talk,the more productive they are economically. 
D) Every normal adult can produce an infinite number of sounds. 
E) Human speech is always directed toward some productive purpose.

Question 20

When we say that human language is "conventional," we mean that:

Accepted Answer

A) Humans are very conservative and rarely change their way of speaking. 
B) The words in human languages have no inherent relationship to the things they stand for. 
C) All languages follow the same grammatical rules or conventions. 
D) Human language was invented at a convention. 
E) All human languages have basically the same structure and differences among them are only superficial. 
A) Humans are very conservative and rarely change their way of speaking. 
B) The words in human languages have no inherent relationship to the things they stand for. 
C) All languages follow the same grammatical rules or conventions. 
D) Human language was invented at a convention. 
E) All human languages have basically the same structure and differences among them are only superficial.

How can linguists determine the age of a language?

Charles Hockett argues that the following two steps were critical in the evolution of human language:

What arguments are there against the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis? Why is this approach not accepted by every linguist today?

According to Keith Basso,why do Apache Indians find white speech so offensive?

Which of the following statements is incorrect?

What success did Dr.Sue Savage-Rumbaugh have in teaching sign language to the bonobo chimpanzee Kanzi?

What are the three things that make human language unique?

Communication among nonhuman animals can be as complex as human language.

According to Ferdinand de Saussure,language can best be separated into language (langue)and speech (parole).The difference between these two things is best described as:

The relationship between language and culture is illustrated by the fact that:

Some global forces do not lead toward linguistic homogenization.What two factors today do not show linguistic homogenization?

The English word "cats" has how many morphemes?

All the sounds used in the different languages of the world can be represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet.

In some cultures,the speech form used depends on the relative social status of the individuals speaking.

What are the four components of any language?

In English,bit and pit have different meanings.Thus,/b/ and /p/ are:

Even a child brought up in isolation will automatically be able to speak the language of his or her parents.

What is the importance of a speech community for a human child?

Human speech is infinitely productive.This means that:

When we say that human language is "conventional," we mean that:

Anthropology and Human Diversity

Doing Cultural Anthropology

The Idea of Culture

Making a Living

Economics

Kinship

Marriage, family, and Domestic Groups

Gender

Political Organization

Stratification

Religion

Creative Expression: Anthropology and the Arts

Power, conquest, and a World System

Culture, change, and the Modern World

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Exam 4: Communication

How can linguists determine the age of a language?

Charles Hockett argues that the following two steps were critical in the evolution of human language:

What arguments are there against the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis? Why is this approach not accepted by every linguist today?

According to Keith Basso,why do Apache Indians find white speech so offensive?

Which of the following statements is incorrect?

What success did Dr.Sue Savage-Rumbaugh have in teaching sign language to the bonobo chimpanzee Kanzi?

What are the three things that make human language unique?

Communication among nonhuman animals can be as complex as human language.

According to Ferdinand de Saussure,language can best be separated into language (langue)and speech (parole).The difference between these two things is best described as:

The relationship between language and culture is illustrated by the fact that:

Some global forces do not lead toward linguistic homogenization.What two factors today do not show linguistic homogenization?

The English word "cats" has how many morphemes?

All the sounds used in the different languages of the world can be represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet.

In some cultures,the speech form used depends on the relative social status of the individuals speaking.

What are the four components of any language?

In English,bit and pit have different meanings.Thus,/b/ and /p/ are:

Even a child brought up in isolation will automatically be able to speak the language of his or her parents.

What is the importance of a speech community for a human child?

Human speech is infinitely productive.This means that:

When we say that human language is "conventional," we mean that:

Anthropology and Human Diversity

Doing Cultural Anthropology

The Idea of Culture

Making a Living

Economics

Kinship

Marriage, family, and Domestic Groups

Gender

Political Organization

Stratification

Religion

Creative Expression: Anthropology and the Arts

Power, conquest, and a World System

Culture, change, and the Modern World

Filters