Question 1

The one feature shared by human language and the communication system of the bees is:

Accepted Answer

Bees can communicate about things that are not present, such as the location of food sources, which is a form of displacement.

Question 2

Being able to communicate about things not present in space or time is called:

Accepted Answer

Displacement is a linguistic feature that allows language users to talk about things and events that are not present in the immediate physical environment, including things that are in the past or future, or in different locations.

Question 3

The fact that human language is made up of sounds that are combined into many units of meaning is called:

Accepted Answer

Duality refers to the property of language where simple sounds (phonemes) are combined to form meaningful units (morphemes and words). This characteristic allows for the creation of a vast number of expressions from a finite set of sounds.

Question 4

The fact that human language can generate a virtually infinite number of combinations of units of meaning is called:

Accepted Answer

Productivity refers to the capacity of human language to combine words and symbols in new ways to generate an infinite number of sentences or ideas.

Question 5

When we say human language is arbitrary we mean:

Accepted Answer

The term "arbitrary" in the context of human language refers to the fact that the symbols (words, signs) we use to represent ideas, objects, or concepts do not have an inherent connection to what they represent. This means that the relationship between the symbol and its meaning is based on convention and agreement among the users of the language, rather than any inherent or natural connection.

Question 6

Human language seems to be best described as:

Accepted Answer

Human language is best understood as a result of the interaction between our biological potential for language (e.g., brain structures and genetic predispositions) and the cultural input we receive (e.g., the specific language(s) we are exposed to during development). This perspective acknowledges both the innate capacities humans have for language acquisition and the crucial role of environmental and cultural factors in shaping how these capacities are realized.

Question 7

The "able" in "reasonable"
Is an example of a:

Accepted Answer

The "able" in "reasonable" is an example of a morpheme, which is the smallest grammatical unit in a language. In this case, "able" is a suffix that modifies the meaning of the root word "reason" to form an adjective indicating the capability of something.

Question 8

The communication systems of nonhuman species consist of a finite number of signals for a finite number of specific meanings. Such systems are said to be:

Accepted Answer

The communication systems of nonhuman species are considered to be "closed" because they consist of a limited set of signals that correspond to specific meanings, without the ability to create new signals or meanings beyond those.

Question 9

The communication of chimpanzees is non-referential except with regard to:

Accepted Answer

The answer of The communication of chimpanzees is non-referential except...

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT used as evidence for the investigation of the time of emergence of human language?

Accepted Answer

The examination of the cells of ancient brains is not used as evidence for investigating the time of emergence of human language because the preservation of brain cells over the vast timescales involved in human evolution is extremely unlikely, making it impractical to study ancient brain cells directly for this purpose.

Question 11

Vocal tract reconstructions show that the tract of the australopithecines was like that of:

Accepted Answer

CVocal tract reconstructions indicate that the vocal tract of the australopithecines was similar to that of apes and modern human children, suggesting a more primitive structure compared to that of Homo erectus or modern human adults. This structure likely limited their ability to produce the wide range of sounds characteristic of modern human speech.

Question 12

Modern human vocal tracts seem to appear at the time of:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Modern human vocal tracts seem to appear...

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT an established reason for the failure of attempts to teach chimpanzees to speak a human language?

Accepted Answer

Differences in the basic structure of their brains are not an established reason for the failure of attempts to teach chimpanzees to speak a human language.

Question 14

So far, some substitute for spoken human language has been taught to all but:

Accepted Answer

Baboons have not been taught a substitute for spoken human language to the extent that chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans have. These other primates have been involved in studies using sign language, symbols, and other forms of communication to interact with humans.

Question 15

Chimpanzees and other apes have brains complex enough to learn the rudiments of human language because:

Accepted Answer

Chimpanzees and other apes lead complex social lives that require advanced cognitive abilities, which can also support learning rudimentary aspects of human language.

Question 16

About how many different languages are spoken in the world today?

Accepted Answer

There are about 3000 languages spoken in the world today, though estimates can vary depending on the criteria used to distinguish languages from dialects.

Question 17

Cognates are words:

Accepted Answer

Cognates are words in different languages that have a similar form and meaning because they have a common origin or descent from a shared ancestral language.

Question 18

Words for ____________ are not normally cognates?

Accepted Answer

Words for scientific ideas and technologies often differ significantly across languages because many of these concepts were developed after the divergence of language families, leading to a lack of shared etymological roots.

Question 19

Which of the following language features has been shown to be directly related to the cultural system that uses the language?

Accepted Answer

Word meanings and categories are directly related to the cultural system that uses the language, as they reflect the values, beliefs, and experiences of that culture.

Question 20

The words and categories a society uses to organize and talk about important aspects of their world is called:

Accepted Answer

A folk taxonomy refers to the system of classification that a particular culture or society uses to organize the natural and social world around them, including plants, animals, and social relationships. It reflects how people in a society categorize and make sense of their environment.

Quiz 11: Communication: Sharing What We Need to Know