To say that Rotokas, a language in New Guinea, has only 11 phonemes is saying that
A)people who speak the language probably cannot communicate very efficiently with each other.
B)the language is similar to English or Spanish.
C)this is how many active sounds are used in the language.
D)this language's vocabulary is not very developed.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Saying that Rotokas has only 11 phonemes means that this is how many distinct sounds are used in the language. This does not necessarily mean that the language is not efficient or that its vocabulary is not developed. In fact, some languages with a small number of phonemes can have very complex vocabularies and grammar. Rotokas is different from English or Spanish, but this comparison is not implied by the statement.

To Say That Rotokas, a Language in New Guinea, Has