Deck 6: Language

Question 1

The Stroop effect illustrates the influence of ____________ on perception.

A) language
B) self-concept
C) gender
D) culture

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In English, the word for 20 is "twenty," but in Spanish, it is "veinte." This difference illustrates that language is ____________.

A) rule-governed
B) subjective
C) symbolic
D) syntactic

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The Stars Wars character Yoda is famous for statements such as "Powerful you have become; the dark side I sense in you." Yoda is known for playing with what kind of linguistic rules?

A) Pragmatic
B) Semantic
C) Phonological
D) Syntactic

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Janelle considers herself a survivor of domestic abuse rather than a victim, a term she prefers for its __________ meaning.

A) relational
B) paralinguistic
C) denotative
D) connotative

Question 5

After overhearing one person say to another, "I think we should break up," you expect a serious conversation to follow, but instead, they laugh and chat happily of other things. Clearly, this couple shares cues and experiences that shape their interpretation of what was said. In other words, they have their own __________ rules.

A) pragmatic
B) semantic
C) phonological
D) syntactic

Question 6

The dictionary meanings, or __________, of a word like "home," are often less important than its connotations, the feelings it evokes.

A) equivocations
B) denotations
C) proxemics
D) chronemics

Question 7

Your uncle is offended when you call him "sick," which you meant as a compliment. This misunderstanding is due to the __________ nature of language.

A) subjective
B) objective
C) transactional
D) linear

Question 8

Which theory explains why bilingual speakers seem to think differently when they change languages?

A) Communication competence
B) Social exchange
C) Social penetration
D) Linguistic relativity

Question 9

What does schadenfreude, a term that has no equivalent in English, mean?

A) The irresistible urge to hug something unbearably cute
B) Sentimental feelings for someone you no longer love
C) The happiness felt while thinking of another's misfortune
D) Just the right amount, or a balanced life

Question 10

Edward Sapir's research on the __________ language discovered that this culture makes no distinction between nouns and verbs, describing the entire world as being constantly in process.

A) Hopi
B) Navajo
C) Apache
D) Cherokee

Question 11

Which of the following statements about naming and identity is TRUE?

A) People often have positive appraisals of unusual names.
B) In 1900, the 20 most common names for baby girls in the United States included Bertha, Mildred, and Ethel.
C) Researchers have recently begun to study the impact of rare and unusual names on the people who bear them.
D) People often have positive appraisals of unusual name spellings.

Question 12

Unusual names can be a symbol of solidarity with the African American community, whereas less distinctive names can be a form of __________ with the majority culture.

A) assimilation
B) power distance
C) divergence
D) code-switching

Question 13

Speaking in a way that emphasizes similarities is the basis of which strategy?

A) Euphemism
B) Convergence
C) Divergence
D) Linguistic relativity

Question 14

When you're with your friends, your language is colored with slang that you don't use with your parents. Which strategy does this illustrate?

A) Ambiguity
B) Assertiveness
C) Linguistic relativity
D) Divergence

Question 15

A(n) __________ is a type of __________ speech that attempts to distance a speaker from remarks that might be unwelcome.

A) disclaimer; powerless
B) disclaimer; powerful
C) abstraction; powerless
D) abstraction; powerful

Question 16

Politeness involves communicating in ways that __________ for both senders and receivers.

A) intensify emotions
B) increase knowledge
C) save face
D) Involve self-disclosure

Question 17

Which of the following is an example of language that is neither sexist nor racist?

A) Working mother
B) Police officer
C) Black surgeon
D) Sportsman

Question 18

Using the plural "they" is one way of addressing an individual with what kind of identity?

A) asexual
B) gendered
C) non-binary
D) binary

Question 19

Asking for __________ helps address ambiguous language, which consists of words and phrases that have more than one commonly accepted definition.

A) evaluative
B) feedback
C) relative
D) descriptive

Question 20

Calling someone big boned rather than obese is an example of what kind of language?

A) Evaluative
B) Affiliative
C) Abstract
D) Euphemistic

Question 21

Which statement avoids ownership of a message?

A) It's a problem.
B) I can't complete the project.
C) We're not sure what to do next.
D) You're a great manager.

Question 22

To increase the clarity of a statement, you should consider replacing __________ with __________.

A) and; but
B) but; and
C) we; I
D) I; we

Question 23

Which category of statements is likely to arouse defensiveness?

A) "It" statements
B) "I" statements
C) "But" statements
D) "You" statements

Question 24

A complete assertive message contains __________ kinds of __________ statements.

A) 3; "We"
B) 3; "I"
C) 4; "I"
D) 4; "We"

Question 25

Supportive messages for someone sharing a problem tend to be high in __________ pronouns and low in __________ pronouns.

A) first-person (I/my); third-person (she/he/it)
B) third-person (she/he/it); first-person (I/my)
C) second-person (you/your); first-person (I/my)
D) first-person (I/my); second-person (you/your)

Question 26

"We" language can help build a constructive communication climate and develop verbal __________.

A) immediacy
B) relativity
C) distance
D) intensity

Question 27

Which example uses language most likely to motivate someone to perform that activity?

A) I have to talk to my neighbor about playing their music so loud.
B) I ought to donate more money to charities.
C) I should eat less junk food.
D) I will exercise more this year.

Question 28

You need a favor. Which statement should follow your request to increase the chance of your friend agreeing to help?

A) You should see how important this is to me.
B) But you are free to say no.
C) This is an urgent request.
D) You have to help me out here.

Question 29

Turning __________ into a __________ facilitates goal achievement.

A) don't have to; have to
B) don't need to; need to
C) have to; want to
D) want to; have to

Question 30

Communication scholar Deborah Tannen views women's communication style as _________ talk, which is __________ oriented.

A) relationship; report
B) rapport; report
C) relationship; task
D) rapport; relationship

Question 31

Which statement is more likely to have been uttered by a woman?

A) The CEO really likes our sales pitch, but I'm anxious that she may not be ready to commit yet.
B) Good sales pitch.
C) I am busy all next week working on my sales pitch.
D) I want you to present the sales pitch.

Question 32

What has research revealed about gender differences in communication on Facebook?

A) Women swear more.
B) Women's language is more affiliative.
C) Men use more first-person singular pronouns.
D) Men refer more to people in their lives.

Question 33

Many of the language differences that first appear to be sex-related may actually be due to other factors such as __________ and power differences in the relationship.

A) education
B) occupation
C) biology
D) age

Question 34

What does research on the online community of Wikipedia indicate about its language use?

A) Editors, who hold a higher rank than administrators, tend to use more neutral, impersonal, and formal words.
B) Administrators tend to use language to form and maintain connections.
C) Male administrators are more relationship oriented than female editors.
D) If the Wikipedia community wants to grow, it should increase the number of female administrators.

Question 35

Which statement is an example of the masculine communication style?

A) That's what I think. Do you agree?
B) I got the impression that she really likes our proposal.
C) It seems like the best way to proceed.
D) Good question.

Question 36

Which of the following statements is TRUE about gender and other influences on language?

A) In gay and lesbian relationships, the conversational styles of partners are more strongly linked to gender than to power differences in the relationship.
B) Male and female managers use speech styles associated exclusively with their own gender.
C) Differences in social status often show up more clearly in language than gender differences.
D) Men use more threatening speech than women when they have the same amount of bargaining strength in a negotiation.

Question 37

Both sign language and spoken language are symbolic in nature.

Question 38

Linguists argue that various dialects should be viewed as different rather than deficient forms of English.

Question 39

It's not necessary for communicators to understand each other's intentions for pragmatic rules to work.

Question 40

The Hopi language represents the world rather like a collection of snapshots, whereas the English representation is more like a movie.

Question 41

Immigrants to the United States run the risk of being discriminated against because of their non-Anglo names.

Question 42

When two or more people feel equally positive about one another, their linguistic divergence will be mutual rather than one-sided.

Question 43

Swearing can build solidarity and be a term of endearment.

Question 44

Disclaimers tend to decrease negative judgments of those who use them.

Question 45

Women say "I'm sorry" more often than men.

Question 46

Evasive approaches can be attempts at politeness that save face for both senders and receivers.

Question 47

"Girls are as good as boys at math" is a nonsexist statement.

Question 48

When assessing whether language is racist, it is better to focus on the sender's intent than the receiver's perspective.

Question 49

Criticism is rated more favorably when delivered in concrete rather than abstract terms.

Question 50

Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus is a best-seller based on extensive scholarly research on gender.

Question 51

A growing body of research suggests that the linguistic differences that do exist are relatively minor in light of the similarities between the sexes.

Question 52

Identify 4 major characteristics of language.

Question 53

What is the theory of linguistic relativity, and how is it related to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?

Question 54

Describe 2 strategies of linguistic affiliation.

Question 55

What is a disclaimer, and why does it often backfire?

Question 56

Provide a definition for language this is sexist and for language that is racist.

Question 57

What kind of description clarifies abstract or vague language and thinking?

Question 58

Identify 3 non-gender influences on language use.

Question 59

Compare and contrast 4 rules that govern language use, and provide an example of each.

Question 60

Describe the relationship among powerless language, powerful language, and politeness.

Question 61

Compare the pros and cons of "I," "We," and "You" language, and recommend when it's best to use each.