Question 1

Negative politeness, in which speakers expresses their reluctance to impose on hearers is the product of ___________.

Accepted Answer

Negative politeness is based on the concept of negative face-wants, which refers to an individual's desire to have their autonomy and freedom of action respected. This can include avoiding intruding on others or imposing obligations on them. Negative politeness strategies aim to address these wants by being indirect or using apologetic language to show reluctance to impose on the hearer.

Question 2

Languages such as Spanish and German differentiate between male and female nouns. These are examples of languages that engage in the __________ of nouns.

Accepted Answer

The question specifically mentions that Spanish and German differentiate between male and female nouns, which implies that they assign genders to inanimate objects. Therefore, the noun gendering is the most appropriate term to describe this phenomenon. Choices A, B, C, and E do not accurately describe the act of assigning gender to nouns.

Question 3

Languages such as Spanish and German differentiate between male and female nouns. For example, in Spanish bridge is el puente, a masculine noun. In German, bridge is die Brücke, a feminine noun. As a result, German speakers typically attach more romantic adjectives such as beautiful and elegant to their descriptions of bridges, and Spanish speakers tend to speak of bridges as big and strong. This phenomenon demonstrates the operation of the ________.

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon demonstrates the operation of the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis, which suggests that language influences thought and perception. In this case, the gendered nature of nouns in Spanish and German appears to shape how speakers of those languages think about and describe bridges. This is also known as linguistic determinism, as the structure of language is said to determine or influence how people think and perceive the world around them.

Question 4

According to the theory of metaphor, __________is/are expressed in a language's metaphors.

Accepted Answer

The theory of metaphor suggests that culture shapes the way we interpret and express ourselves through language. Therefore, the metaphors used in a language reflect cultural reality and values. It is not simply a matter of individual or elite biases, but rather a reflection of the larger cultural context.

Question 5

Language signifying concepts, qualities, or ideas is __________.

Accepted Answer

Abstract language refers to language that signifies concepts, qualities, or ideas rather than specific, tangible objects.

Question 6

The linguist ____________ developed the ladder of abstraction to explain how we use various levels of abstraction to make different types of meaning.

Accepted Answer

S. I. Hayakawa developed the ladder of abstraction, a concept that illustrates how people can communicate ideas and experiences at various levels of abstraction, from very concrete to very abstract.

Question 7

Which of the following sentences best demonstrates the metaphor of Argument as War?

Accepted Answer

The use of the phrase "shot down" implies that one person's arguments were defeated by another person, demonstrating the metaphor of Argument as War.

Question 8

________ is the public self-image that every member of a culture wants to claim for her or himself.

Accepted Answer

Face is the term used in communication studies to refer to the public self-image that every member of a culture wants to claim for him or herself. It is the positive social value a person effectively claims for himself or herself by the line others assume he or she has taken during a particular contact.

Question 9

We typically use euphemisms because we wish to obey which rule of pragmatic competence?

Accepted Answer

Euphemisms are often used to be polite and avoid offending or embarrassing others. This is a key aspect of pragmatic competence, which involves understanding how linguistic and social cues are used to convey meaning effectively in different situations.

Question 10

Several languages, German, French, and Spanish for example, utilize familiar and formal versions of the pronoun you. American English does not. This is most likely because ___________.

Accepted Answer

The use of familiar and formal pronouns is often related to cultural norms and attitudes towards hierarchy and respect. The United States has a relatively informal culture when it comes to social interactions and rank, which is reflected in the lack of familiar and formal pronouns in American English.

Question 11

Why is the sentence "They are hunting dogs" ambiguous? Explain its two possible meanings and construct less ambiguous sentences to convey more clearly those two meanings.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why is the sentence "They are hunting...

Question 12

You want to tell your friends about the boat trip you took over Spring Break. Build a ladder of abstraction with at least three levels, including the most concrete and most abstract, indicating how you would tell your story.

Accepted Answer

The answer of You want to tell your friends about...

Question 13

Linguist Iman Tohidian, when discussing the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis, says "language not only shapes the way reality is perceived but reality can also shape language." She stresses, however, that "language does influence thought and perception of reality but language does not govern thought or reality." What does she mean by "language influences thought" but "does not govern" it?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Linguist Iman Tohidian, when discussing the Linguistic...

Question 14

Identify a speech network to which you belong. What makes it a true speech network and how does your communication differ when interacting with members from that group as opposed to the larger speech community to which you may belong?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify a speech network to which you...

Question 15

Each of the words domicile, house, and home, while similar in meaning, produces not only a different thought, but different types of thought. Why? Identify 2 words that, while also similar in meaning, produce markedly different thought or types of thought.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Each of the words domicile, house, and...

Question 16

Explain the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis and what it says about the relationship between language and thought. Then give examples of the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis and how it might operate in speech communities and in speech networks.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis and what...

Question 17

When the two language rules of pragmatic competence conflict, be polite takes priority over be clear. Please provide an example of a situation where these two rules might conflict and offer a solution to this conflict can be resolved. Hint: the solution resides in politeness theory.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When the two language rules of pragmatic...

Question 18

Metaphors make unstated comparisons between things or events that share some feature, but they also mask differences in the compared concepts. Take the metaphors of ARGUMENT AS WAR and ARGUMENT AS DANCE and explain what similarities they highlight and what dissimilarities they mask. Be sure to offer examples of the metaphors you believe operate in these ways.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Metaphors make unstated comparisons between things or...

Question 19

Your text identifies 8 functions of language. Name and describe each one, then imagine a typical Monday during the semester in which you make use of all 8 before you sit down to dinner. Using the functions you identified, describe the events/conversations you may have engaged in to get you from first ring of your alarm clock to the dinner table.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Your text identifies 8 functions of language....

Question 20

Differentiate between situational, social, and cultural meaning. Then explain how euphemism might play a beneficial role when we hope to convey situational, social, and cultural meaning. Make sure to offer an example of the use of euphemism in each instance.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Differentiate between situational, social, and cultural meaning....

Quiz 3: Verbal Communication