Bagiai is a member of the Piraha culture, which has a smaller numerical system than large-scale Western cultures.Bagiai is hunting and comes across a group of 10 tapirs (large pig-like mammals).He kills 2 to take back to his camp.If Bagiai were asked, "How many tapir remain alive?" how would he answer this question and why?
A) Bagiai would say, "8 tapir remain alive" because people from all cultures have terms for numbers up to the number 10.
B) Bagiai would say, "8 tapir remain alive" because his cultural concept of numbers allows for basic addition and subtraction.
C) Bagiai would say, "Many tapir remain alive" because while he is able to provide rough estimates of quantity, his language does not include precise terms for numbers larger than 2.
D) Bagiai would say, "Many tapir remain alive" because his culture is high-context and explicit communication is less necessary, given the large degree of shared information within the community.
E) Bagiai would say, "I don't know how many tapir remain alive" because his numerical vocabulary is limited and there only exists language to represent the addition and subtraction of 1, not 2.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Piraha culture is known for having a very limited numerical system, often described as having terms equivalent to "small quantity," "larger quantity," and sometimes "many," but not for specific numbers beyond 1 or 2. Therefore, Bagiai would likely use a term equivalent to "many" to describe the remaining tapirs, as his language does not include precise terms for numbers larger than 2.

Bagiai Is a Member of the Piraha Culture, Which Has