Question 1

Consider the following English words that are similar except for the beginning sound: cat and rat. The /c/ and the /r/ are called __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  morphemes 
B)  phonemes 
C)  syntaxes 
D)  semantics

Question 2

John Lucy's research on the relationship among thought, language, and behavior showed that __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  kinship terminology is tied to a perception of familial closeness 
B)  Hopi and English speakers had different perspectives on the passage of time 
C)  grammar affected the way Mayan and English speakers sorted objects 
D)  gender-biased terms reflect social categories

Question 3

According to Herbert Terrace's research, chimpanzees are highly intelligent animals that can learn many signs, but cannot understand syntax.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Language is a system of symbols with standard meanings.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Nonverbal communication consisting of body motions and gestures is called kinesics.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

The goal of ethnosemantics is to understand __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  that reality is inherently unorganized and can be perceived in any way; thus color naming, plant classification, and time categories are completely arbitrary 
B)  the meanings of words, phrases, and sentences and how members of different societies use language to organize things, events, and behaviors 
C)  that languages and behavior are the same 
D)  that classification systems in all societies are random

Question 7

Linguistic variations within a single language such as differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, or syntax are termed dialects.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

One goal of anthropological linguistics is to determine the number of phonemes that exist in different languages. This goal is accomplished by examining the use of __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  minimal pairs 
B)  phone taps 
C)  maximal differences 
D)  syntax units

Question 9

Jane Goodall observed that chimpanzees in the wild communicate through __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  a gestural sign language 
B)  vocalizations tied directly to emotional states 
C)  random vocalizations and body language 
D)  singing

Question 10

What kind of information do people communicate nonverbally? What are some examples of behaviors that researchers interested in kinesics and proxemics would study? Why is it important to consider these forms of communication?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What kind of information do people communicate...

Question 11

Does language influence social perceptions? In answering this question, examine such things as the conscious attempts to change what is perceived by many to be "gender-biased" language (terms such as fireman, policeman, Mrs., Miss, freshman, mankind). Also, do you think these attempts to change language will succeed, or are English speakers too set in their ways to change?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Does language influence social perceptions? In answering...

Question 12

Most anthropologists maintain that language influences a person's thinking and worldview, but language does not determine thought.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

At the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center at Emory University a chimpanzee named Lana was taught to communicate through a color-coded computer keyboard.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

What is African-American Vernacular English? How did it emerge? How is it related to pidgin and creole languages? Discuss the controversies surrounding AAVE.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is African-American Vernacular English? How did...

Question 15

An example of a bound morpheme in English is __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the phrase "boys will be boys" 
B)  the word "boys" 
C)  the word "boy" 
D)  the "s" in the word "boys"

Question 16

According to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, time is perceived the same way in all cultures.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Would it be possible to have a culture without a language? Discuss two theories about how language and culture evolved along with the human species.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Would it be possible to have a...

Question 18

How do variations in language relate to social hierarchies? Compare and contrast two examples from sociolinguistics that illustrate the relationship between language use and social standing.

Accepted Answer

The answer of How do variations in language relate to...

Question 19

Sociolinguists have found that societies that maintain social inequalities and hierarchies often have different forms of the same language that are used for addressing higher or lower status individuals, kin versus nonkin, and males versus females.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

A unit of sound that distinguishes meaning in a particular language is a __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  dialect 
B)  phoneme 
C)  morpheme 
D)  syntax

Exam 5: Language

Consider the following English words that are similar except for the beginning sound: cat and rat. The /c/ and the /r/ are called __________.

John Lucy's research on the relationship among thought, language, and behavior showed that __________.

According to Herbert Terrace's research, chimpanzees are highly intelligent animals that can learn many signs, but cannot understand syntax.

Language is a system of symbols with standard meanings.

Nonverbal communication consisting of body motions and gestures is called kinesics.

The goal of ethnosemantics is to understand __________.

Linguistic variations within a single language such as differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, or syntax are termed dialects.

One goal of anthropological linguistics is to determine the number of phonemes that exist in different languages. This goal is accomplished by examining the use of __________.

Jane Goodall observed that chimpanzees in the wild communicate through __________.

What kind of information do people communicate nonverbally? What are some examples of behaviors that researchers interested in kinesics and proxemics would study? Why is it important to consider these forms of communication?

Most anthropologists maintain that language influences a person's thinking and worldview, but language does not determine thought.

At the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center at Emory University a chimpanzee named Lana was taught to communicate through a color-coded computer keyboard.

What is African-American Vernacular English? How did it emerge? How is it related to pidgin and creole languages? Discuss the controversies surrounding AAVE.

An example of a bound morpheme in English is __________.

According to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, time is perceived the same way in all cultures.

Would it be possible to have a culture without a language? Discuss two theories about how language and culture evolved along with the human species.

How do variations in language relate to social hierarchies? Compare and contrast two examples from sociolinguistics that illustrate the relationship between language use and social standing.

Sociolinguists have found that societies that maintain social inequalities and hierarchies often have different forms of the same language that are used for addressing higher or lower status individuals, kin versus nonkin, and males versus females.

A unit of sound that distinguishes meaning in a particular language is a __________.