Question 1

A historical linguist would be most likely to study:
A) a nonstandard variation of a language that is particular to a specific region.
B) the development of language over time, including its changes and variations.
C) the way that linguistic variants alternate back and forth, depending on the context.
D) the way that variation in language appears gradually over distance between places.

Accepted Answer

Historical linguistics is the study of the development of language over time, including its changes and variations. This field investigates how languages change over time, how they are related to each other, and how they develop within specific cultures and contexts.

Question 2

According to the textbook, what is happening to human languages worldwide?
A) Outside the United States, languages are being lost.
B) Languages are being lost at the rate of three per day.
C) New languages are being created at a rate faster than they are being lost.
D) Languages are being lost at the rate of one every ten days.

Accepted Answer

Languages are being lost at the rate of one every ten days, reflecting the ongoing global decline in linguistic diversity.

Question 3

Both efforts to enforce and efforts to deviate from standard English in a school setting frequently evoke controversy. What did the introduction of Ebonics in Oakland, California, schools seek to accomplish?
A) to help African American children succeed in school
B) to introduce a new federal policy that allowed the teaching of nonstandard English
C) to replace standard English with black English in the school district
D) to certify teachers as proficient in black English

Accepted Answer

The introduction of Ebonics in Oakland, California, schools sought to accomplish helping African American children succeed in school by recognizing and validating their native language and language patterns as a way to support their academic progress. It did not seek to replace standard English with black English or certify teachers as proficient in black English. It also did not introduce a new federal policy that allowed the teaching of nonstandard English.

Question 4

Linguistic anthropologists have discovered that the languages spoken in Europe-such as Latin, English, German, and Greek-are derived from an earlier language, which is called ________.
A) Proto-Indo-European
B) Pre-Modern European
C) Pan Archaic European
D) Proto-Germanic

Accepted Answer

Linguistic anthropologists have traced the origins of several languages spoken in Europe to a common ancestral language, which they refer to as Proto-Indo-European. This language is believed to have originated in the Pontic-Caspian steppe region, and it is the source of many modern Indo-European languages, including English, German, Greek, and Latin, among others.

Question 5

Anthropologists have shown that chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates are able to communicate about things not immediately present and events in the past or future. What aspect of human language does this describe?
A) displacement
B) productivity
C) complexity
D) innovation

Accepted Answer

Displacement refers to the ability to communicate about things that are not immediately present, such as past events or future plans. This is what the anthropologists observed in chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates.

Question 6

The work of the Summer Institute of Linguistics presents a challenge to anthropology because it:
A) includes translating bible texts at a low cost.
B) captures data that might otherwise be lost, but also seeks to convert people.
C) is a means of embedding a specific religious belief into a digital format.
D) is actually a means of maintaining secrecy about the institute's motives.

Accepted Answer

The work of the Summer Institute of Linguistics captures linguistic and cultural data that might otherwise be lost, but their ultimate goal is to spread Christianity and convert people, which presents a challenge to the objective and neutral stance of anthropology.

Question 7

American women are far more likely than men to distinguish between colors like teal and turquoise, or magenta and purple. What is this an example of?
A) a biological difference between men and women
B) the gendered focal vocabulary that exists within American culture
C) the use of paralanguage that differentiates female culture from the dominant male culture
D) the use of linguistic productivity and displacement

Accepted Answer

This is an example of the gendered focal vocabulary that exists within American culture, where women are socialized to pay more attention to and have more words to describe certain colors than men.

Question 8

Why would a study of the "N-word" most likely be done using a sociolinguistic approach?
A) Sociolinguistics studies the intersection between language and systems of power, such as race, class, and age.
B) Sociolinguistics is preferred in the study of the development of language over time, including its changes and variations.
C) This particular field of anthropology studies how social behavior is created by language.
D) Sociolinguistics studies the variation in languages between places.

Accepted Answer

Sociolinguistics focuses on how language use reflects and reinforces power structures related to social categories such as race, class, and age. Therefore, studying the use of the "N-word" would involve analyzing how it is used in different social contexts and how its meaning and impact may vary based on factors such as the speaker's race and the audience's demographics.

Question 9

In 2009, newly elected president Barack Obama visited a famous eatery in Washington, D.C., and, after paying his tab, was asked by the cashier if he wanted his change. The president's reply was, "Nah, we straight." Which of the following was the president doing?
A) speaking a dialect of English
B) using language as cultural capital
C) code switching
D) speaking standard English

Accepted Answer

The president was using code switching, which involves changing languages, dialects, or communication styles depending on the situation and audience. In this case, he was using language that is common and familiar among African Americans, which is a form of code switching.

Question 10

What has the effort to preserve the Native American Lakota language, spoken by about 25,000 people in the United States, led to?
A) There is now an new, modern dialect of Lakota.
B) It has resulted in the widespread adoption of Lakota terms in many parts of the country.
C) There is a widespread integration of social media into the preservation effort.
D) It has resulted in the loss of Lakota cultural capital due to online piracy.

Accepted Answer

The effort to preserve the Native American Lakota language has indeed led to the widespread integration of social media into the preservation effort, utilizing platforms to teach, share, and promote the language among both native speakers and those interested in learning.

Question 11

What does the term language continuum refer to?
A) It is a nonstandard variation of a language that is particular to a specific region.
B) This is the study of the development of language over time, including its changes and variations.
C) It is the alternating back-and-forth between more than one linguistic variant, depending on the context.
D) This is the idea that variation in languages appears gradually over distance between places.

Accepted Answer

The term language continuum refers to the idea that variation in languages appears gradually over distance between places. This means that there is a range of dialects and language variants that shift gradually from one region to another, rather than abrupt boundaries between them.

Question 12

The term dialect is a nonstandard variation of a language that:
A) is particular to a specific region.
B) varies over time.
C) depends on context.
D) depends on the distance between places.

Accepted Answer

A dialect is a nonstandard variation of a language that is particular to a specific region or geographic area. The features of a dialect are distinct from those of standard or mainstream languages, and often include differences in pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and usage. Therefore, option A is the best choice from the given options, as it clearly describes the defining characteristic of a dialect. Options B, C, and D might also be applicable to certain contexts, but they do not capture the essential nature of a dialect as a regional or local variety of a language.

Question 13

The United States is home to people speaking nearly 400 languages, including ________ distinct Native American languages.
A) 32
B) 70
C) 112
D) 169

Accepted Answer

The United States is home to people speaking nearly 400 languages, of which 169 are distinct Native American languages.

Question 14

Humpback whales have been shown to communicate with remarkable complexity, and have distinctly different types of tunes and accents that differ across different pods suggesting that whales may include what in their communications? 
A) symbols
B) paralanguage
C) body movements
D) grammar

Accepted Answer

The answer of Humpback whales have been shown to communicate...

Question 15

What did Rickford and Rickford conclude in their study of "Spoken Soul"?
A) The English language has more than twenty known dialects.
B) All African Americans are very adept at code switching.
C) This linguistic variant of English is gradually fading from use.
D) This variant of English is in wide use by African Americans in a range of settings.

Accepted Answer

Rickford and Rickford concluded that this variant of English, known as "Spoken Soul," is still in wide use by African Americans in a range of settings. They also noted that it is a legitimate and complex linguistic variant, rather than a mere "error" in speech.

Question 16

At present, only 32 percent of the population in developing countries uses the Internet. This reflects what aspect of information technology development?
A) It demonstrates the increasing successes by computer hackers to shut down global media.
B) This is the result of efforts by foreign powers to prevent access to online materials in the developing world.
C) This is a reflection of the minimal investment in technological infrastructure made by the Chinese government.
D) This shows the tendency of globalization to increase the effects of uneven development.

Accepted Answer

The fact that only 32 percent of the population in developing countries uses the Internet reflects the tendency of globalization to increase the effects of uneven development. This means that even though information technology is advancing rapidly, not all countries or regions are able to keep up with the pace of development. This can exacerbate existing inequalities and make it difficult for some societies to fully participate in the global economy.

Question 17

What does Noam Chomsky's research propose about language?
A) All humans share a similar ability to learn language based on the way that our brains are hardwired.
B) Stories cannot be translated successfully into other languages.
C) Different languages create different ways of thinking.
D) A language's grammar is derived from the culture in which it develops.

Accepted Answer

Noam Chomsky's research proposes that all humans have a "universal grammar" that is hardwired in our brains and allows us to learn language in a similar way, regardless of our native language. This theory suggests that although different languages may have different grammatical structures, there are underlying principles that are shared across all languages.

Question 18

Chinese, spoken by about 1.3 million people, is the most common native language in the world. At the same time, many Chinese students are sent abroad to English-speaking countries to learn English. Why do these students learn English at all?
A) The Chinese government seeks to develop more Chinese-language universities and centers abroad.
B) English is spoken by nearly 95 percent of the world's population.
C) English is the dominant spoken language worldwide and is central in education and technology.
D) The production of global media like radio and television is extremely difficult to accomplish using written Chinese.

Accepted Answer

English is the dominant spoken language worldwide and plays a central role in education and technology. Many international businesses also conduct their operations in English. Therefore, learning English can provide many opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Question 19

Consider a used car salesperson who must be highly skilled at using words to persuade people to spend money. This illustrates that linguistic skills as a form of cultural capital:
A) are not needed to make a good living.
B) are often used to cheat others out of their money.
C) can be converted into monetary gain.
D) are a useful tool for car sales, but not for financial careers.

Accepted Answer

The fact that a used car salesperson can make a good living by using linguistic skills indicates that these skills are valuable in terms of monetary gain. This illustrates how linguistic skills can be converted into cultural capital that can be used to earn money. The other options are not supported by the information given in the question.

Question 20

What do anthropologists call a nonstandard variation of a language?
A) prestige language
B) type of displacement
C) dialect
D) morpheme

Accepted Answer

Anthropologists call a nonstandard variation of a language a dialect. A dialect is a regional or social variation of a language.

Quiz 4: Language

A historical linguist would be most likely to study:

According to the textbook, what is happening to human languages worldwide?

Both efforts to enforce and efforts to deviate from standard English in a school setting frequently evoke controversy. What did the introduction of Ebonics in Oakland, California, schools seek to accomplish?

Linguistic anthropologists have discovered that the languages spoken in Europe-such as Latin, English, German, and Greek-are derived from an earlier language, which is called ________.

Anthropologists have shown that chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates are able to communicate about things not immediately present and events in the past or future. What aspect of human language does this describe?

The work of the Summer Institute of Linguistics presents a challenge to anthropology because it:

American women are far more likely than men to distinguish between colors like teal and turquoise, or magenta and purple. What is this an example of?

Why would a study of the "N-word" most likely be done using a sociolinguistic approach?

In 2009, newly elected president Barack Obama visited a famous eatery in Washington, D.C., and, after paying his tab, was asked by the cashier if he wanted his change. The president's reply was, "Nah, we straight." Which of the following was the president doing?

What has the effort to preserve the Native American Lakota language, spoken by about 25,000 people in the United States, led to?

What does the term language continuum refer to?

The term dialect is a nonstandard variation of a language that:

The United States is home to people speaking nearly 400 languages, including ________ distinct Native American languages.

Humpback whales have been shown to communicate with remarkable complexity, and have distinctly different types of tunes and accents that differ across different pods suggesting that whales may include what in their communications?

What did Rickford and Rickford conclude in their study of "Spoken Soul"?

At present, only 32 percent of the population in developing countries uses the Internet. This reflects what aspect of information technology development?

What does Noam Chomsky's research propose about language?

Chinese, spoken by about 1.3 million people, is the most common native language in the world. At the same time, many Chinese students are sent abroad to English-speaking countries to learn English. Why do these students learn English at all?

Consider a used car salesperson who must be highly skilled at using words to persuade people to spend money. This illustrates that linguistic skills as a form of cultural capital:

What do anthropologists call a nonstandard variation of a language?