Deck 5: Language

Question 1

Semantics is the study of the meaning of symbols, words, phrases, and sentences in a language.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

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

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Research has concluded that language, as we know it, appeared only within the last 10,000 years and is associated with the development of agriculture and the domestication of animals.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

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

Question 5

Using glottochronology, historical linguists can work with archaeologists in order to reconstruct protolanguages and prehistoric migrations.

Question 6

Anthropologists use the ethnosemantic approach to study how different societies understand and classify everyday objects like animals, plants, and food.

Question 7

The concept of arbitrariness is in reference to how abstract words are as symbols.

Question 8

Unlike animal communication systems, human language can refer to people, things, or events that are not present, a feature called displacement.

Question 9

Research conducted by Sue Savage-Rumbaugh on Kanzi suggests that this chimpanzee can understand English words and does appear to have a crude command of syntax.

Question 10

There are over 4,000 languages in the world today.

Question 11

It has been suggested that major cultural advances, cultural evolution, and human creativity could not have occurred before adequate language ability evolved.

Question 12

Language is a system of symbols with standard meanings.

Question 13

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

Question 14

Chimpanzees and gorillas have been taught to speak up to 100 English sentences so they can communicate their daily needs as well as humans.

Question 15

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

Question 16

Linguistic anthropologists study phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.

Question 17

Nonhuman primates such as chimpanzees and gorillas cannot speak; their vocal mechanisms simply do not permit it.

Question 18

Phonology is the study of morphemes, the smallest units of a language that convey meaning.

Question 19

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is an example of linguistic relativism because it maintains that the world is experienced differently among different language communities.

Question 20

Parrots, like humans, can displace one word for another when imitating human speech.

Question 21

The goal of ethnosemantics is to understand:

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 other 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 22

Glottochronology is the study of the interrelationships among the vocal tract, glottis, larynx, and pharynx in the production of sound.

Question 23

An example of a bound morpheme in English is:

A) the phrase "boys will be boys"
B) the word "boys"
C) the word "boy"
D) the "s" in the word "boys"
E) the two words, "will be," that are in between the word "boys" in the phrase above in A

Question 24

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

Question 25

Scientific attempts to teach apes to speak human languages:

A) have been extremely successful, especially with chimpanzees
B) have not been made because of the differences in the vocal tract and location of the pharynx
C) have shown that chimpanzees learn to speak Spanish easier than English
D) have been so successful with chimpanzees and gorillas that researchers are now teaching orangutans to speak
E) have made it possible for gorillas to communicate with chimpanzees

Question 26

The gorilla named "Koko" was able to:

A) speak and communicate by using over 100 English words
B) learn to program a computer using the computer language called FORTRAN
C) communicate using about 170 signs from American Sign Language (ASL)
D) write her own name and verbally communicate her needs to humans
E) learn how to drive a car and fly an airplane

Question 27

One goal of anthropological linguistics is to determine the number of phonemes (phonetic structure) that exist in different languages. This goal is accomplished by employing the use of:

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

Question 28

What is displacement?

A) a major linguistic characteristic of all primate call systems
B) a moral precept that keeps humans from lying and making false promises
C) acculturation; when a less technologically advanced culture forces a more technologically advanced complex culture to move to a new location
D) a dialect spoken by both the Nootkan and Bantu so they can consummate trade
E) the human linguistic ability to refer to things, persons, and events removed in time and space

Question 29

A system of symbols with standard meanings is a __________.

A) society
B) phonology
C) syntax
D) language
E) semantic

Question 30

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

A) romback
B) phoneme
C) morpheme
D) syntax
E) semantic

Question 31

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

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

Question 32

How many morphemes are there in the English word "antidisestablishmentarianism"?

A) 1
B) 6
C) 28
D) 0

Question 33

The word "lower" contains:

A) two bound morphemes
B) two bound phonemes
C) two free morphemes
D) one bound morpheme and one free morpheme
E) no morphemes of any sort

Question 34

Sign language acquisition in primates has been criticized on the basis that:

A) the signs were just imitative, often random combinations, and they did not involve a two-way conversation
B) chimpanzees and gorillas are not smart enough to learn sign language
C) chimpanzee and gorilla hands are not really capable of making most signs in ASL
D) primates already have a communication system, so they cannot learn another one

Question 35

According to the work of Lieberman and others, the ability to build an infinite number of sentences within sentences is __________.

A) proxemics
B) recursion
C) dynamics
D) semantics

Question 36

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

Question 37

There are four important features that appear to distinguish human communication from animal communication. Which of the following is not one of these features?

A) productivity
B) displacement
C) arbitrariness
D) combining sounds
E) proxemics

Question 38

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

Question 39

Scientists who study the behavior of animals in their natural setting are called:

A) behaviorists
B) naturalists
C) eco-researchers
D) ethologists

Question 40

The words "boy" and "girl" are:

A) bound phonemes
B) bound morphemes
C) free morphemes
D) bound phones
E) free kinesics

Question 41

Could Neandertals speak in the same way as anatomically modern human beings?

Question 42

Attempts to change linguistic habits such as the adoption of more neutral terms like firefighter, police officer, and first-year student for gender-biased ones like fireman, policeman, and freshman are based on:

A) the idea that language influences social perceptions and gender relations
B) the fact that the deep structure of language, as proposed by Noam Chomsky, is like a fluid sea that can be molded easily to fit social reality
C) false premises about the surface structure of language and the role of gender in society
D) the theory of glottochronology of gender as proposed by Morris Swadesh

Question 43

Go to a zoo and observe a primate for at least one hour. What types of sounds and noises does the primate make? Do they appear to be signs (call system) or symbols? Does the primate appear to use non-verbal communication of any kind? Compare and contrast your observations with research done by others, and your own perception of how you communicate with other humans.

Question 44

Even though all humans have approximately the same set of special senses for perceiving reality (eyes, ears, noses), not all of the sensations in the environment reach our consciousness in the same way since each language filters out different parts of reality. Each language provides the speaker with a built-in filter that heightens, dims, or eliminates certain perceptions, thus determining how we perceive reality. This thesis is called the:

A) Chomsky Theory
B) Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
C) Filter Theory
D) Sieve Theory
E) Linguistic Strainer Hypothesis

Question 45

"Did I hear you say that there are four pounds of sulfur in the box?" versus "Did I heah ya say that there are foah pounds of sulfuh in the box?" is an example of:

A) correct and incorrect English
B) dialect differences in English
C) how surface structure and deep structure interact
D) the difference between syntax and semantics
E) adult versus child talk

Question 46

If everyone in the United States woke up one morning and started to speak in a "non-gender biased" manner (that is, eliminated every word that differentiated males from females, such as fireman, policeman, mankind, etc.), would social reality in the U.S. change? If it would, how do you think it would change? If not, why not? Would there be less or more stereotyping of the sexes and sex roles?

Question 47

Noam Chomsky suggests humans are born with a brain prewired to enable us to acquire languages easily. This "prewiring" is referred to as __________.

A) syntax
B) universal grammar
C) infinite model
D) functional template

Question 48

How do animal communication systems differ from human language and communication systems?

Question 49

If an English speaker said to you, "Get out of my face!" you would probably back up and move away from the person speaking to you. From a linguistic point of view, "Get out of my face":

A) consists of fourteen phonemes but only three morphemes
B) is an example of a kinesics message
C) shows that glottochronology and the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis may be more closely related than most linguists think
D) is an example of proxemics in action
E) contains four free morphemes and two bounded morphemes Essay Questions

Question 50

Does language influence social perceptions? In answering this question, examine 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 suc?ceed, or are English speakers too set in their ways to change?

Question 51

Often the exchange of greetings between two individuals in the United States appears to be routine and not filled with emotion, deep thought, or real consideration for the feelings of the other individual. Is this perception correct? Observe the greeting behavior between a number of individuals who differ in social position, occupation, age, sex, or other dichotomies. Did you notice any differences? What were those differences? Now, try an experiment: When someone says, "Hi, how are you?" or "How's it going?" stop them and give a detailed account of how you are feeling and how the day is going for you. Note their reaction. How did they respond to your answer to their "routine" greeting?

Question 52

Glottochronology is:

A) an ancient Germanic language
B) a technique used to discover the original language of the Neandertals
C) the study of the way the vocal tract is formed to help understand early language learning in children
D) the study of how phonemes, morphemes, and glottos combine to make well-formed, meaningful sentences in any language
E) a technique for dating the separation of languages

Question 53

Linguistic anthropologists find that people who are forced to abandon their native language and culture:

A) begin to lose their self-esteem
B) all speak English.
C) are better off socially and economically
D) easily regain both in 100 years

Question 54

Would it be possible to have a culture without a language?

Question 55

If someone came up to you and said, "Oh, you see everything through rose-colored glasses," this might suggest to you that the person speaking agrees with the premises of:

A) Noam Chomsky's Transformational-Generative Grammar Model
B) Derek Bickerton's Creole-Pidgin Theory
C) the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
D) the Linguistic Field Theory
E) glottochronology

Question 56

A German shepherd dog will not have any difficulty understanding the bark of a French poodle, while a speaker of English will have trouble understanding a Chinese speaker. Explain why this is so.