Deck 1: Linguistic Anthropology

Question 1

Who was one of the first anthropologists to focus on how language affects culture and worldview?

A)Margaret Mead
B)Edward Sapir
C)Dianne Fossey
D)Claude Lévy-Strauss

Answer 1

Edward Sapir

Question 2

The strong emphasis on fieldwork in American anthropology traces its origins to whose teachings?

A)Socrates
B)Jane Goodall
C)Franz Boas
D)Ferdinand de Saussure

Answer 2

Franz Boas

Question 3

What is ethnocentrism?

A)understanding that differences exist between cultural systems and believing that other cultural systems make as much sense as your own
B)using an insider's term for what you observe happening in a community you are observing
C)using an outsider's terms for what you observe happening in a community you are observing
D)using your own cultural system to interpret what others are doing, with the assumption that your own system is the only one that makes sense

Answer 3

using your own cultural system to interpret what others are doing, with the assumption that your own system is the only one that makes sense

Question 4

Which of the four subfields of anthropology focuses on the study of human behavior and belief systems?

A)physical (or biological)anthropology
B)archaeology
C)cultural anthropology
D)linguistic anthropology

Question 5

When we say that anthropology is characterized by seeing the whole picture, getting the broadest view possible, anthropologists generally use the adjective ________.

A)holistic
B)relativistic
C)theoretical
D)comparative

Question 6

The American Anthropological Association statement on ethics in fieldwork can be summed up briefly as

A)introduce no changes.
B)do no harm.
C)bring no money.
D)never lose your temper.

Question 7

The American Anthropological Association's Statement on Ethics was first articulated formally in ________ and has been refined and annotated over the years.

A)the 1820s
B)the 1880s
C)the 1940s
D)the 1990s

Question 8

Which of the following refers to the idea that differences exist among cultural systems, that different cultural systems can make as much sense as our own, and that we can learn to understand these different systems?

A)ethnocentrism
B)cultural relativity
C)frames of reference
D)cultural determinism

Question 9

In cultural and linguistic anthropology, which of the following takes you into another living human culture where you are expected to adapt and adjust your frames of reference until you can understand and operate successfully within that cultural and/or linguistic system?

A)interviews
B)archival research
C)fieldwork
D)geographic relocation

Question 10

What is the best broad definition of "anthropology"?

A)the study of indigenous cultures
B)the study of human languages and communication
C)the study of human evolution and sociobiology
D)the study of all people, at all times, and in all places

Question 11

An ethical linguistic anthropologist does all of the following EXCEPT

A)does not let the community know that he or she is there.
B)makes sure that his or her presence does not endanger the community.
C)makes sure that his or her writings do not endanger the community.
D)is respectful of the host community and its members.

Question 12

Boas argued that you could only really understand another cultural system by

A)visiting occasionally, staying for at least a week each time you visit.
B)engaging in lots of rituals and ceremonies.
C)focusing your collection on myths, folktales, and children's rhymes.
D)learning and speaking the language of the community you are living with.

Question 13

An applied dimension to anthropology

A)is a direct violation of the code of ethics of the American Anthropological Association.
B)has been formally recognized as a fifth subdiscipline.
C)is included in all subdisciplines of anthropology.
D)has no place in linguistic anthropology, although it may exist in other subdisciplines.

Question 14

Which of the four subfields of anthropology focuses on the study of human origins, variation, and evolution?

A)physical (or biological)anthropology
B)archaeology
C)cultural anthropology
D)linguistic anthropology

Question 15

The fact that words can have specific meanings in specific situations and may shift meanings depending on the situation and who is saying them to whom

A)illustrates the importance of theoretical linguistics, which provides rules that help us understand this phenomenon.
B)is a rare and unusual phenomenon that linguistic anthropologists have discovered.
C)means that language must be studied in its cultural context.
D)makes it absolutely impossible for speakers of one language to learn another language.

Question 16

What are frames of reference?

A)the criteria we use to judge whether or not a sentence is grammatical
B)the ways we see, interpret, and understand the world
C)the culturally accepted definitions of words in a language
D)the explicit knowledge we have about a culture other than our own

Question 17

The concern that learning a new frame of reference will cause you to lose your existing frames of reference ________.

A)is supported by extensive data
B)may contribute to ethnocentrism
C)is extraordinarily rare, particularly in the United States
D)makes learning a new language as an adult a simple task

Question 18

The experience of linguistic anthropologists teaches us that

A)learning about other languages and cultures can help us better understand our own.
B)help us to see that our own language and culture has very little influence on us.
C)a deep study of another language will inevitably result in a loss of identity.
D)only a trained linguistic anthropologist can benefit from the study of other languages and cultures.

Question 19

Gathering information from many cultures, times and places, including our own, reflects the _____________ nature of anthropology.

A)fieldwork-based
B)comparative
C)holistic
D)historical

Question 20

When you are traveling in a country with a different monetary system and you decide how expensive something is by translating it into "real" money (the money in your own country), you are engaging in a sort of

A)relativism.
B)fieldwork.
C)globalization.
D)ethnocentrism.

Question 21

Although ethical considerations are very important for cultural anthropology, they are not significant in linguistic anthropology, since linguistic anthropology focuses so exclusively on language.

Question 22

Define ethnocentrism and differentiate between the two types of ethnocentrism. Provide an example to illustrate each type of ethnocentrism.

Question 23

Identify and briefly describe the focus of the four subfields of anthropology and explain why it is important for anthropologists to be trained in all four subfields.

Question 24

Briefly describe the way in which linguistic anthropologists make ethical decisions. Explain the importance of the code of ethics that anthropologists have adopted. Use examples from your reading to illustrate your description.

Question 25

Unlike theoretical linguists, linguistic anthropologists are very interested in ________.

A)how language is organized, stored, and retrieved in the brain
B)how linguistic behavior is affected by (and affects)social and cultural behavior
C)how generalizable rules for sound change can be applicable across languages
D)how languages are structured and formed

Question 26

Which of the following best describes linguistic anthropology?

A)holistic, comparative, and fieldwork-based
B)focused, specific, and intuitive
C)holistic, comparative, and intuitive
D)focused, specific, and fieldwork-based

Question 27

Unlike linguistic anthropologists, theoretical linguists often rely on ________ to develop their theories.

A)the social context in which language is used
B)cultural information
C)introspective data
D)observations from the field

Question 28

The study of archaeology is interesting but not useful for a linguistic anthropologist.

Question 29

In contrast to linguistic anthropology, the primary focus of theoretical linguistics is on form and structure, with little or no attention to the social contexts in which language is used.

Question 30

Theoretical linguistics, in contrast with linguistic anthropology, focuses more on ________.

A)the connection between language and culture
B)language in use
C)language form and structure
D)cultural and historical factors

Question 31

Which topic would be of most interest to a theoretical linguist?

A)the way language change helps define social and cultural differences
B)how group membership affects language use
C)how people speak differently in different settings
D)the search for linguistic universals

Question 32

It is not possible to understand other cultural systems in their own terms without losing confidence in your own.

Question 33

Learning about other languages and cultures can help you to better understand your own language and culture as well as how they work and influence you.