Question 1

"There is no moment at which a particular pidgin suddenly comes into existence, but rather a process of variety-creation called pidginization, by which pidgin is gradually built up out of nothing." What does this suggest about the nature of human language? Discuss in relation to the design features of language suggested by Hockett.

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Question 2

What are discourse genres? Define and give examples. What makes discourse genres important in linguistic anthropology?

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Question 3

Adopted children commonly refer to their new parents as "mother" and "father." Using the concepts of literal and metaphorical language, discuss what this usage suggests about the relationship.

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Question 4

Define and discuss the six design features of language that were singled out in the text. Using an example, identify why they are important for understanding human language use.

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Question 5

Discuss the concept of heteroglossia in linguistic anthropology. What is the concept? Why is it important? What advantages does it provide in understanding human language?

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Question 6

Discuss language ideology and raciolinguistics. Pay particular attention to power differentials and the importance of heteroglossia. Are there situations in which you find language ideology playing a role in your own language use? How is raciolinguistics connected with fluid ways of establishing identity?.

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Question 7

Define phonology and morphology. How do these two constructs interact to help linguistic anthropologists understand language?

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Question 8

Define a metaphor. Describe a metaphor that you often use. How did you come to understand the semantic domains in the metaphor?

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Question 9

Imagine you are provided with audio tapes in another language, which no additional information. Using concepts from the Module, describe how you would determine the characteristics of the language and derive meaning.

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Question 10

Identify a sentence that could exhibit structural ambiguity. How do speakers reconcile structural ambiguity? Are these ambiguities translatable in other languages?

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Quiz 9: Why Is Understanding Human Language Important