Question 1

The most important language family in Sub-Saharan Africa is
A) Khoisan.
B) Niger-Congo.
C) Nilo-Saharan.
D) Afro-Asiatic.
E) Altaic.

Accepted Answer

The Niger-Congo language family is the most important in Sub-Saharan Africa, as it includes over 1,500 different languages spoken by approximately 700 million people.

Question 2

English is part of which language family?
A) Germanic
B) North Germanic
C) West Germanic
D) Indo-European
E) Romance

Accepted Answer

D

Question 3

The main difference between languages in the same family,branch,or group is how
A) recently in time the languages were once the same.
B) closely the speakers of each language live to each other.
C) similar the cultures of the speakers of each language are.
D) all of the above

Accepted Answer

The main difference between languages in the same family, branch, or group is how recently in time the languages were once the same. This means that they share a common ancestor language and have undergone changes over time, resulting in differences between the languages. The other options may have some influence on the languages, but they are not the main factor in distinguishing one language from another within a language family.

Question 4

A group of languages that share a common ancestor before recorded history is a
A) dialect.
B) language branch.
C) language family.
D) language group.
E) language root.

Accepted Answer

A language family is a group of languages that share a common ancestor before recorded history. Examples of language families include Indo-European, Afro-Asiatic, and Sino-Tibetan. A dialect is a variation of a language spoken in a specific geographic region or by a particular group of people. A language branch is a subdivision of a language family, while a language group is a collection of related languages within a branch. A language root is not a commonly used term in linguistics.

Question 5

When languages are depicted as leaves on trees,the trunks of the trees represent
A) dialects.
B) language groups.
C) language families.
D) possible prehistoric superfamilies.
E) language sects.

Accepted Answer

The trunks of the trees in the language tree model represent language families. Language families are groups of related languages that share a common origin or ancestor language. The branches of the trees represent individual languages within a language family, and the leaves represent dialects or variations within those languages. While there may be some evidence for possible prehistoric superfamilies, these are not commonly represented in the language tree model. Language sects are not a commonly recognized concept in linguistics.

Question 6

English is part of which language branch?
A) Germanic
B) North Germanic
C) West Germanic
D) Indo-European
E) Austronesian

Accepted Answer

English is part of the Germanic branch of the larger Indo-European language family. It specifically belongs to the West Germanic sub-group which includes other languages such as German and Dutch. North Germanic includes languages like Swedish and Norwegian.

Question 7

A group of languages that share a common origin but have since evolved into individual languages is a
A) dialect.
B) language branch.
C) language family.
D) language group.
E) language root.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A group of languages that share a...

Question 8

The residents of Hong Kong,China are exposed to a lot of English especially because
A) it is an easier language to speak and understand.
B) all television programming is in English.
C) it was until recently a British colony.
D) many Australian tourists visit each year.
E) None of these explanations is correct.

Accepted Answer

Hong Kong was a British colony until 1997 and English is still widely spoken and used in business and education.

Question 9

The two largest language families in the world are
A) Indo-Iranian and Balto-Slavic.
B) Sino-Tibetan and Indo-European.
C) Afro-Asiatic and Sino-Tibetan.
D) Balto-Slavic and Sino-Tibetan.
E) Altaic and Nilo-Saharan.

Accepted Answer

According to Ethnologue, the two largest language families in the world are Sino-Tibetan, with over 1.3 billion speakers, and Indo-European, with over 2 billion speakers. Therefore, answer B is the best choice.

Question 10

How many language families in the world have at least 100 million native speakers?
A) seven
B) nine
C) ten
D) twelve
E) fifteen

Accepted Answer

There are nine language families in the world that have at least 100 million native speakers: Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan, Afro-Asiatic, Niger-Congo, Austronesian, Dravidian, Turkic, Japonic, and Koreanic.

Question 11

A literary tradition is
A) a form of a language used for official government business.
B) a form of a language spoken in a particular area.
C) a collection of languages related to each other.
D) the written form of a language.
E) the variety of dialects in a language.

Accepted Answer

A literary tradition refers to the written form of a language, encompassing its body of written works, styles, and conventions.

Question 12

Which of the following is not one of the four most commonly spoken branches of Indo-European?
A) Balto-Slavic
B) Germanic
C) Romance
D) Greek
E) Indo-Iranian

Accepted Answer

Greek is one of the branches of Indo-European, but it is not among the four most commonly spoken ones. The four most commonly spoken branches are Balto-Slavic, Germanic, Romance, and Indo-Iranian.

Question 13

When languages are depicted as leaves on trees,the roots of the trees below the surface represent
A) dialects.
B) language groups.
C) language sects.
D) language families.
E) possible prehistoric superfamilies.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When languages are depicted as leaves on...

Question 14

From most distant to closest relatives,languages can be classified into
A) families, branches, and groups.
B) branches, families, and groups.
C) branches, groups, and families.
D) families, groups, and branches.
E) groups, branches, and families.

Accepted Answer

Languages are classified from most distant to closest relatives in the order of families, branches, and groups. This hierarchical structure allows linguists to trace the evolution and relationships between languages.

Question 15

The geographic study of the distribution of languages provides a good example of
A) the interplay between globalization and local diversity.
B) the diffusion of folk culture in different areas of the world.
C) the role and spread of religion across much of the world.
D) political conflicts that arise due to ethnic tensions.

Accepted Answer

The geographic study of the distribution of languages highlights the tension between the forces of globalization and the persistence of local diversity. It also emphasizes the ways in which languages can serve as markers of cultural identity and can be influenced by political and economic forces.

Question 16

The second-largest language family is
A) Indo-European.
B) Sino-Tibetan.
C) Afro-Asiatic.
D) Austronesian.
E) Dravidian.

Accepted Answer

According to most sources, including Ethnologue, Sino-Tibetan is the second-largest language family in the world after Indo-European. It includes languages spoken in large parts of East and Southeast Asia, such as Chinese, Tibetan, Burmese, and many others.

Question 17

Which of the following is not a Romance language?
A) Bulgarian
B) Italian
C) Portuguese
D) Romanian
E) French

Accepted Answer

Bulgarian is a Slavic language, not a Romance language. The other choices - Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and French - are all Romance languages derived from Latin.

Question 18

Russian is part of what language branch?
A) Balto-Slavic
B) Germanic
C) Indo-Iranian
D) Romance
E) Altaic

Accepted Answer

Russian belongs to the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family, which includes other Slavic languages like Polish and Czech as well as Baltic languages like Lithuanian and Latvian.

Question 19

The predominant language branch of Russia and Central Europe is
A) Finno-Ugric.
B) Romance.
C) Celtic.
D) Scandinavian.
E) Balto-Slavic.

Accepted Answer

The Balto-Slavic language branch is predominant in Russia and Central Europe, encompassing Slavic languages such as Russian, Polish, Czech, and Slovak, as well as Baltic languages like Lithuanian and Latvian.

Question 20

Tens of thousands of years ago,languages may have been joined together as
A) branches.
B) superfamilies.
C) groups.
D) lingua franca.
E) families.

Accepted Answer

Superfamilies are a group of language families that are thought to be related to each other, with a common origin. While language families are groups of languages with similar characteristics and a common ancestor, a superfamily encompasses language families that are too distantly related to be considered part of the same family, but share certain features that suggest a common origin. Therefore, tens of thousands of years ago, languages may have been joined together as superfamilies.

Quiz 5: Language

The most important language family in Sub-Saharan Africa is

English is part of which language family?

The main difference between languages in the same family,branch,or group is how

A group of languages that share a common ancestor before recorded history is a

When languages are depicted as leaves on trees,the trunks of the trees represent

English is part of which language branch?

A group of languages that share a common origin but have since evolved into individual languages is a

The residents of Hong Kong,China are exposed to a lot of English especially because

The two largest language families in the world are

How many language families in the world have at least 100 million native speakers?

A literary tradition is

Which of the following is not one of the four most commonly spoken branches of Indo-European?

When languages are depicted as leaves on trees,the roots of the trees below the surface represent

From most distant to closest relatives,languages can be classified into

The geographic study of the distribution of languages provides a good example of

The second-largest language family is

Which of the following is not a Romance language?

Russian is part of what language branch?

The predominant language branch of Russia and Central Europe is

Tens of thousands of years ago,languages may have been joined together as