Question 1

Which of the following demonstrates the generativity of language?
A) Honeybees use a dance-like system to alert each other about the location of food.
B) Macaques use vocalizations to lure members of the opposite sex.
C) There are over one hundred ways for English speakers to talk about money.
D) Birds use several birdsongs to signal each other during mating, and to avoid danger.

Accepted Answer

Generativity of language refers to the ability to produce an infinite number of sentences or expressions from a finite set of rules and vocabulary. Choice C demonstrates this concept by highlighting the vast number of ways English speakers can discuss a single topic (money) using the language's rules and vocabulary. Choices A, B, and D describe animal communication systems, which, while complex, do not exhibit the same level of generativity as human language.

Question 2

In linguistics, this term refers to the fact that any sentence can be extended indefinitely by embedding clauses or phrases within or following it.
A) generativity
B) recursion
C) displacement
D) fixation

Accepted Answer

Recursion is the linguistic feature that allows for the indefinite extension of a sentence by embedding clauses or phrases within it or following it. This property enables speakers to create and understand an infinite number of sentences, including those that have never been spoken before.

Question 3

Humans are relatively unique because we are able to use language to converse about things that do not exist, are abstract, or have yet to occur. This is called
A) generativity
B) recursion
C) displacement
D) fixation

Accepted Answer

Displacement is the linguistic ability to talk about things that are not present in the immediate physical environment, including things that do not exist, abstract concepts, or events that have happened in the past or may happen in the future. This capability is a key feature distinguishing human language from the communication systems of other species.

Question 4

According to Noam Chomsky and other linguists, humans inherit partly specialized neural circuitry ("hard wiring") in the brain and cognitive structures of the mind designed to acquire language, called the
A) inferior temporal system
B) internal language faculty
C) mirror neuron system
D) specialized grammar faculty

Accepted Answer

Noam Chomsky proposed the concept of an "internal language faculty," which refers to the innate cognitive structures and neural mechanisms that enable humans to acquire and process language.

Question 5

In linguistic theory, children can assimilate the language of their parents and community, by automatically applying the rules of
A) the internal language faculty
B) universal grammar
C) specific grammar
D) functional syntax

Accepted Answer

Universal grammar is a theory in linguistics, proposing that the ability to acquire language is innate to humans and that all human languages share a common underlying structure. This concept, associated with Noam Chomsky, suggests that children are born with an inherent ability to understand the basic principles of grammar, enabling them to learn the specific language(s) they are exposed to.

Question 6

Universal grammar is considered by its advocates to be
A)acquired through experience with one's native language
B) an innate capacity that drives language learning in humans
C) a shared aspect of all social animal communication systems
D) a universal property of English language grammar

Accepted Answer

Universal grammar is considered by its advocates to be an innate capacity that drives language learning in humans, suggesting that the ability to acquire language is hard-wired into the brain.

Question 7

The tragic case of "Genie," a girl who was subjected to physical abuse and prohibited from speaking for the first 13 years of her life, supports the idea that
A)there is a critical period for language development
B) physical abuse can lead to profound developmental delays
C) language is relative to the environment in which one is raised
D) the development of language is marked by several sensitive periods

Accepted Answer

Genie's case supports the idea of a critical period for language development, as she struggled to fully acquire language skills after being isolated during her early years.

Question 8

According to Noam Chomsky, what is most puzzling about the ease with which children acquire language?
A) Children born in any place in the world learn the language of that place.
B) Children imitate the speech of their adult caregivers exactly.
C) Children learn language despite the impoverished nature of the stimulus.
D) Children tend to make the same mistakes in grammar that are made by their caregivers.

Accepted Answer

Chomsky argues that children can learn complex language systems even though the language input they receive (the stimulus) is often incomplete or imperfect, which he refers to as the "poverty of the stimulus." This concept challenges the behaviorist view that language learning is solely a result of imitation and reinforcement.

Question 9

Why is it so interesting to linguists that children say things like "taked" instead of "took" or "badder" instead of "worse"?
A) because children only make these mistakes early in their language acquisition period
B)because children are explicitly taught the rules of universal grammar
C) because children persist in making these grammatically logical mistakes even after being corrected
D) because it is evidence of the influence of direct instruction on speaking by caregivers

Accepted Answer

Children's use of forms like "taked" or "badder" demonstrates their understanding and application of grammatical rules, such as regular past tense formation or comparative adjectives, even when these rules lead to incorrect forms. This suggests that children are actively constructing language rules rather than simply mimicking adult speech.

Question 10

This theory denies the existence of the language faculty and instead asserts that the mechanisms of the mind are "plastic" in the sense of being highly flexible and adaptable.
A)Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
B) connectionism
C) constructivism
D) linguistic relativity

Accepted Answer

Connectionism posits that cognitive processes are the result of networks of simple units (neurons, for example) working in parallel, without needing a specialized language faculty. It emphasizes the adaptability and flexibility of these networks in learning and processing information.

Question 11

The grammar that one learns in school, which reflects standards in ways of speaking, is called
A) universal grammar
B) specific grammar
C) prescriptive grammar
D) standardized grammar

Accepted Answer

Prescriptive grammar refers to the set of rules and examples about language that are taught in schools and are intended to show people how they should use the language. It prescribes how language should be used to conform to a standard of correctness.

Question 12

Which of the following was NOT among the insights about fixed rules for prescriptive grammar outlined by John McWhorter?
A) A language is always on its way to changing into a new one.
B) Any language is actually a bundle of dialects.
C) No language changes in a way that contradicts basic logic.
D) Languages are becoming less grammatical as time passes.

Accepted Answer

John McWhorter, a linguist, has argued that languages evolve and change over time but does not claim that they become less grammatical. Instead, he emphasizes the natural evolution and complexity of languages, including changes that do not necessarily mean a decline in grammatical structure.

Question 13

The view that the specific grammar of a language determines the way in which native speakers construct their realities is called the
A)linguistic relativity hypothesis
B) Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
C) critical period hypothesis
D) universal grammar hypothesis

Accepted Answer

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, also known as linguistic relativity, suggests that the structure of a language affects its speakers' worldview or cognition.

Question 14

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis began to lose favor in psychology throughout the 1970s because
A) the original research results were largely faked
B) evidence to dispute the claims was steadily mounting
C) Benjamin Whorf conceded that he had misheard the Hopi speakers
D) the Inuit languages actually had many more words for snow than there are in English

Accepted Answer

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which suggests that the structure of a language affects its speakers' world view or cognition, began to lose favor because evidence that disputed its claims was steadily mounting. This evidence showed that the hypothesis was too deterministic and did not account for the flexibility and diversity of human thought across languages.

Question 15

Susan Hespos and Elizabeth Spelke (2004) observed that the Korean language, but not the English language, uses entirely different verbs to describe whether an object fits loosely or tightly inside or on top of another. This is an example of the
A)linguistic relativity hypothesis
B) Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
C) critical period hypothesis
D) universal grammar hypothesis

Accepted Answer

The linguistic relativity hypothesis suggests that the language one speaks influences how one thinks and perceives the world. The observation that Korean uses different verbs for loose and tight fits, while English does not, exemplifies this concept.

Question 16

In 1998, this gorilla, trained in American Sign Language, became the first nonhuman to conduct a live Internet chat session.
A) Nim
B) Koko
C) Kanzi
D) Matata

Accepted Answer

Koko the gorilla was known for her ability to communicate using American Sign Language, and in 1998, she participated in a groundbreaking live Internet chat session, marking a significant moment in the interaction between humans and non-human primates.

Question 17

Most animals can communicate, but unlike humans, their referential forms of communication are
A) open-ended
B) sequential
C) generative
D) closed-ended

Accepted Answer

Most animals have a limited set of signals or sounds that are specific to certain situations, making their communication system closed-ended, unlike humans whose language is open-ended and can generate an infinite number of meanings.

Question 18

Most psycholinguistic research focusing on language in nonhuman animals involves training animals to
A) communicate with other species the way that they would communicate with their own species
B) communicate using human language
C) learn to understand the speech of human beings
D) improve their intra-species communication skills

Accepted Answer

Most psycholinguistic research with nonhuman animals involves training them to use human language, often to understand the cognitive and communicative capacities of these animals.

Question 19

One reason that American Sign Language (ASL) is often taught to primates in nonhuman language research is that
A) sign language is built upon gestures that the animals already understand
B)primates have trouble signing in languages besides ASL
C) the anatomy of the nonhuman primates' larynx makes it difficult for the animals to speak
D) attempts to train the animals to communicate using operant conditioning were originally unsuccessful

Accepted Answer

The anatomy of nonhuman primates' larynx makes it difficult for them to produce spoken language, which is why ASL and other sign languages are used in research to communicate with them.

Question 20

Studies of language learning with primates like Kanzi, Nim, and Washoe demonstrated that primates are able to communicate with human language
A) by representing most of their emotional experiences
B)about as well as a human toddler
C) to tell their own species-specific stories
D) in novel ways that defy scientific explanation

Accepted Answer

Studies with primates such as Kanzi, Nim, and Washoe have shown that they can learn aspects of human language and use it to communicate at levels comparable to that of a human toddler, including using signs or symbols to express needs, desires, and observations.

Quiz 9: Thinking, Language, and Intelligence

Which of the following demonstrates the generativity of language?

In linguistics, this term refers to the fact that any sentence can be extended indefinitely by embedding clauses or phrases within or following it.

Humans are relatively unique because we are able to use language to converse about things that do not exist, are abstract, or have yet to occur. This is called

According to Noam Chomsky and other linguists, humans inherit partly specialized neural circuitry ("hard wiring") in the brain and cognitive structures of the mind designed to acquire language, called the

In linguistic theory, children can assimilate the language of their parents and community, by automatically applying the rules of

Universal grammar is considered by its advocates to be

The tragic case of "Genie," a girl who was subjected to physical abuse and prohibited from speaking for the first 13 years of her life, supports the idea that

According to Noam Chomsky, what is most puzzling about the ease with which children acquire language?

Why is it so interesting to linguists that children say things like "taked" instead of "took" or "badder" instead of "worse"?

This theory denies the existence of the language faculty and instead asserts that the mechanisms of the mind are "plastic" in the sense of being highly flexible and adaptable.

The grammar that one learns in school, which reflects standards in ways of speaking, is called

Which of the following was NOT among the insights about fixed rules for prescriptive grammar outlined by John McWhorter?

The view that the specific grammar of a language determines the way in which native speakers construct their realities is called the

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis began to lose favor in psychology throughout the 1970s because

Susan Hespos and Elizabeth Spelke (2004) observed that the Korean language, but not the English language, uses entirely different verbs to describe whether an object fits loosely or tightly inside or on top of another. This is an example of the

In 1998, this gorilla, trained in American Sign Language, became the first nonhuman to conduct a live Internet chat session.

Most animals can communicate, but unlike humans, their referential forms of communication are

Most psycholinguistic research focusing on language in nonhuman animals involves training animals to

One reason that American Sign Language (ASL) is often taught to primates in nonhuman language research is that

Studies of language learning with primates like Kanzi, Nim, and Washoe demonstrated that primates are able to communicate with human language