Deck 4: Language and Interpersonal Communication

Question 1

Which is not true of language?

A) It allows us to conquer the unknown.
B) It enables us to assert social identity.
C) It permits us to avoid contact.
D) None of the above; that is, all are true.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which is not true of verbal codes?

A) They are continuous and natural.
B) They encourage us to create new realities.
C) They are well designed to convey logical, abstract information.
D) All of the above; that is, all are false.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which is an example of a digital (as opposed to an analog) code?

A) Numbers
B) Words
C) Braille
D) All of the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What are the three levels of linguistic meaning discussed in your text?

A) Syntactic, semantic, pragmatic
B) Analog, digital, random
C) Complementary, symmetrical, submissive
D) Linguistic determinism, linguistic relativism, linguistic absolutism

Question 5

Which is an example of an analog (as opposed to a digital) code?

A) A map or representational drawing
B) A watch where the second hand moves as time progresses
C) A fever thermometer, where the movement of mercury indicates the amount of one's fever
D) All of the above

Question 6

The research study on e-mail from Bunz and Campbell reported in this chapter studied which of the following?

A) Politeness
B) Interruption
C) Deception
D) Refusal
E) Compliance gaining

Question 7

Lin is not a native speaker. While he has a good grasp of denotative meaning, connotations often escape him. His inability to master word meanings in English is an example of a lack of which kind of linguistic competence?

A) Phonemic
B) Semantic
C) Syntactic
D) Pragmatic

Question 8

Lin also often misreads social context and says things that, although grammatically correct, are inappropriate for the social setting. He lacks which kind of linguistic competence?

A) Phonemic
B) Semantic
C) Syntactic
D) Pragmatic

Question 9

Lin's grammar is excellent. This shows which kind of competence?

A) Phonemic
B) Semantic
C) Syntactic
D) Pragmatic

Question 10

CMM stands for:

A) communication mutual membership.
B) competence in movement and marginality.
C) coordinated management of meaning.
D) complementarity of message meaning.

Question 11

According to CMM theory, which of the following is an example of a speech act?

A) Tim is talking to his coworkers.
B) His intent is to impress them.
C) His communication occurs when they are having lunch.
D) He sees himself as a competent young professional.

Question 12

According to CMM theory, which of the following is an example of a relationship?

A) Tim is talking to his coworkers.
B) His intent is to impress them.
C) Hs communication occurs when they are having lunch.
D) He sees himself as a competent young professional.

Question 13

According to CMM theory, which of the following is an example of an episode?

A) Tim is talking to his coworkers.
B) His intent is to impress them.
C) His communication occurs when they are having lunch.
D) He sees himself as a competent young professional.

Question 14

According to CMM theory, which of the following is an example of life script?

A) Tim is talking to his coworkers.
B) His intent is to impress them.
C) His communication occurs when they are having lunch.
D) He sees himself as a competent young professional.

Question 15

According to the hypothesis of linguistic relativity:

A) people talk more with close family members than with strangers.
B) there are no standards that can be used to evaluate the value of a language.
C) jargon promotes group solidarity.
D) the way we think is related to the specific language we speak.

Question 16

According to the hypothesis of linguistic determinism:

A) people are born with an innate ability to learn language.
B) the harder you work at learning language, the less payoff there will be.
C) language predisposes us to interpret the world in certain ways.
D) what can be said in one language can be said in another.

Question 17

According to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis:

A) people are people and perceive the world similarly, regardless of language.
B) middle-class speakers see the world more accurately than lower-class speakers.
C) language influences thoughts.
D) language causes us to misperceive and distrust one another.

Question 18

Speaking with names is:

A) a ritual used by the Western Apache to offer comfort.
B) a way of speaking associated with blue-collar males from Chicago.
C) a conflict-reducing ritual that involves insults and name-calling.
D) the way the !Kung show pride in their accomplishments.

Question 19

Which is true of the language practices of Teamsterville men?

A) Teamsterville men often use flooded disclosures when speaking to family members.
B) When responding to an insult or to insubordination, Teamsterville men prefer to talk rather than to fight.
C) Teamsterville men use intermediaries when they talk to authority figures.
D) All of the above

Question 20

Teamsterville men feel most comfortable when talking to:

A) male friends.
B) their wives.
C) their children.
D) their bosses.

Question 21

Which of the following is more likely to be found in men's as opposed to women's speech?

A) Polite, indirect speech
B) Qualifiers
C) Disclaimers
D) Instrumental talk

Question 22

In addition to signaling uncertainty, tag endings can also suggest a speaker's desire to:

A) create conflict.
B) gain sympathy.
C) encourage interaction.
D) show confidence.

Question 23

Critical theorists believe:

A) it is bad to be evaluative toward others; others should be accepted uncritically.
B) language is power; whoever controls language controls thought and action.
C) English is the most highly evolved of all languages.
D) People who do not speak "proper" English are deficient rather than different.

Question 24

Muted-group theorists believe:

A) women's language is far superior to that of men.
B) there is no political content to language; critical theorists are wrong.
C) women often feel less comfortable communicating in public situations than do men.
D) there are really no significant differences between the language habits of men and women.

Question 25

Which of the following does not use sexist language?

A) Although only a waitress, she is extremely intelligent.
B) A petite blond with a great figure, she can do a man's job.
C) I now pronounce you man and wife.
D) None; all are considered to be sexist.

Question 26

Which of the following is an open-ended question?

A) Where are you from?
B) Do you like it here?
C) Why do you like it here?
D) b and c.

Question 27

Which is not one of the things that people normally do in conversational closings?

A) Let the other know when or if they will see each other again.
B) Indicate supportiveness.
C) Build credibility.
D) Summarize main topics.

Question 28

Which of the following consists of only one morpheme?

A) Books
B) Quickly
C) Mess
D) None of the above; each consists of multiple morphemes

Question 29

When individuals, rather than the language system, are the final authority of word meaning, we are referring to:

A) denotative meaning.
B) connotative meaning.
C) phatic communication.
D) self-reflexive communication.

Question 30

Which of the following does correct syntax use typically not reflect?

A) Social status
B) Economic status
C) Social learning
D) Intellectual ability

Question 31

Umberto Eco's definition of language, "everything which can be used in order to lie," mirrors which distinguishing characteristic of verbal codes?

A) Verbal codes are analogic.
B) Verbal codes are immediate.
C) Verbal codes give users the ability to think in new ways.
D) Verbal codes encourage users to create new realities.

Question 32

Which of the following cannot be expressed analogically?

A) Grammatical markers
B) Emotions
C) Relationships
D) All of the above can be expressed analogically.

Question 33

Verbal codes are self-reflexive.

Question 34

When Arthur thinks of baseball, he thinks of happy childhood experiences. This is an example of denotative meaning.

Question 35

Private, emotionally charged meaning is called connotative meaning.

Question 36

Denotative meaning is public, conventional meaning.

Question 37

Pragmatic meaning is meaning based on word order.

Question 38

"When Mom cooks food for me, it means she is showing love" is an example of a constitutive rule.

Question 39

"Telling off-color jokes in the classroom to amuse one's friends is an inappropriate behavior" is an example of a regulative rule.

Question 40

Regulative rules tell us how to interpret another's communicative content.

Question 41

Speaking with names allows listeners to mentally travel to a specific location and apply what happened there to their personal situation.

Question 42

Teamsterville men are more likely to use elaborated codes than to use restricted codes.

Question 43

To elaborated code users, restricted code users may seem illogical and overly emotional.

Question 44

If you are a restricted code user, people who use elaborated codes may seem cold and stilted.

Question 45

Restricted codes encourage social solidarity.

Question 46

Elaborated codes emphasize group identity.

Question 47

Women tend to use more tag endings than do men.

Question 48

"I felt miserable when she said that. I could have sunk through the floor, and I felt like crying" is an example of instrumental talk.

Question 49

Of the three kinds of topics you can use to begin a conversation, talking about yourself is probably the best.

Question 50

Free information should be avoided in conversation because it indicates disorganization.

Question 51

If you want to encourage conversation, it is often a good idea to ask open-ended questions.

Question 52

Nonverbal codes allow us to meta-communicate; it is difficult to meta-communicate verbally.

Question 53

Technically, a morpheme and a word are the same thing.

Question 54

Some word fragments are morphemes, or linguistic units of meaning.

Question 55

The differences between male and female communication styles are unrelated to power and social status.

Question 56

That part of a word's meaning is based on its relationship to the words that precede and follow it exemplifies the syntactic level of language.

Question 57

Muted-group theorists suggest that women often feel less comfortable in public situations than do men and that this affects their communication.

Question 58

Discuss at least three ways that language can be sexist and give examples. Do you agree that these usages are detrimental and should be changed? Why or why not?

Question 59

Distinguish between digital and analogic codes. Give appropriate examples of each.

Question 60

Identify the three levels of meaning present in language and show how each affects the overall verbal message by giving an example of each.

Question 61

Interpreting and producing speech acts are difficult tasks. By explaining CMM theory, indicate how we know what speech acts are and how we know when to use them.

Question 62

Initiating conversation is an important dimension of interpersonal effectiveness. Discuss guidelines that might help one to become a more confident conversationalist.

Question 63

Bernstein's work on social class and discourse highlights distinctions between restricted and elaborates codes and their users. Discuss these distinctions and their ramifications when "other" code users are encountered.

Question 64

Consider the statement "Language allows us to control and be controlled by the world." Isn't this a contradiction? Explain your responses with examples addressing this unique characteristic of the verbal code.

Question 65

Basso's research on the Apache language ritual "speaking with Names" can be used to support the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. Explain Basso's research in light of linguistic determinism and linguistic relativism.