Question 1

The earliest writing systems are about __________ years old.
A) 6,000
B) 2,000
C) 3,000
D) 10,000

Accepted Answer

The earliest writing systems, such as cuneiform in Mesopotamia and hieroglyphics in Egypt, are about 6,000 years old, dating back to around 4,000 BCE.

Question 2

What does it mean to say that a word or sound is arbitrary?
A) One cannot just guess the meaning from the sound.
B) It has the same meaning in nearly all languages.
C) The word's meaning is the opposite of what it sounds like.
D) The meaning of the word has changed over the years.

Accepted Answer

When a word or sound is arbitrary, it means that there is no inherent connection between its sound and its meaning. There is no way to guess the meaning simply by hearing the sound or looking at the word.

Question 3

How many mutually unintelligible languages have been identified?
A) more than 6,000
B) 2,000 to 3,000
C) fewer than 1,000
D) 4,000 to 5,000

Accepted Answer

Linguists estimate that there are currently over 6,000 languages in the world, many of which are mutually unintelligible.

Question 4

A study comparing Japanese and American facial expressions found that __________.
A) the two had similar expressions in private, but the Japanese participants tried to mask their feelings in front of authority figures
B) the two had similar expressions in public, but the American participants were more expressive when they thought they were alone
C) participants of both cultural groups were careful to mask their feelings in front of authority figures
D) participants of the two cultural groups had nearly identical facial expressions, both in public and in private

Accepted Answer

The study found that the two cultural groups had similar expressions in private, but the Japanese participants were more likely to mask their feelings in front of authority figures.

Question 5

While English has 26 letters, it has __________ significant sounds.
A) about 40
B) only 15
C) around 100 D thousands of

Accepted Answer

While English has 26 letters, it has approximately 40 significant sounds. This is due to the fact that many sounds in English can be represented by multiple letters or letter combinations (such as the "sh" sound in "sheep" and "ship").

Question 6

Why is it so difficult to pinpoint the emergence of the earliest languages?
A) Written language only appeared about 5,000 years ago.
B) Modern apes have a rudimentary language, so it must date to at least the divergence of the human and ape lineages.
C) There are clear structural differences in the brains of people who speak and people who don't, but we have no fossilized evidence of brain structure.
D) Every culture reports that they have been able to speak since the beginning of time.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why is it so difficult to pinpoint...

Question 7

It is estimated that __________ percent of the world's languages are endangered.
A) 50 to 90
B) 30 to 50
C) 90 to 95
D) 15 to 25

Accepted Answer

According to the United Nations, it is estimated that between 50 to 90 percent of the world's languages are currently endangered. This means that if nothing is done to preserve them, these languages may disappear within the next few generations.

Question 8

In Robert Schrauf's comparative study, which group was used to represent immigrants with the greatest retention of their native language?
A) third-generation immigrants
B) second-generation immigrants
C) first-generation immigrants
D) fourth-generation immigrants

Accepted Answer

The answer of In Robert Schrauf's comparative study, which group...

Question 9

Animal systems, such as sound or odor, represent __________ but not __________.
A) communication; language
B) symbolism; communication
C) messages; symbolism
D) language; messages

Accepted Answer

Animal systems, such as sound or odor, represent communication, which refers to the exchange of information between individuals, but not language, which involves a structured system of symbols used for communication. Animals do not have developed language systems like humans do, although they may have their own unique methods of communication.

Question 10

Why can we not use the languages of nonliterate societies to learn about the origins of language?
A) Their languages are not simpler or less developed than our own.
B) Their written histories do not go far enough back in time.
C) They were often developed more recently than written languages.
D) Languages of nonliterate societies change too quickly to be any use for study.

Accepted Answer

Languages of nonliterate societies are not simpler or less developed than those of literate societies; they are equally complex and capable of expressing a wide range of human experience and knowledge. The complexity of a language is not determined by whether its speakers have a writing system.

Question 11

The controversial Sapir-Whorf hypothesis proposes that __________.
A) language affects how individuals in a society perceive and conceive reality
B) culture has a strong influence on how we speak languages
C) languages reflect the values, attitudes, and beliefs of the society
D) language and culture have no measurable influence on each other

Accepted Answer

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis proposes that language affects how individuals in a society perceive and conceive reality. This means that the structure and vocabulary of language can shape the way people think and understand the world around them.

Question 12

Research has shown that English people from higher-class backgrounds tend to have more __________ speech, conforming more to what is considered standard English.
A) homogeneous
B) inductive
C) deductive
D) heterogeneous

Accepted Answer

Homogeneous speech means it is uniform or similar throughout, which aligns with the idea that people from higher-class backgrounds tend to conform more to standard English, making their speech more uniform in terms of adherence to linguistic norms.

Question 13

The fact that there are thousands of languages tells us that language is __________.
A) not completely biologically determined
B) not affected by cultural variation
C) arranged primarily by geography
D) the most difficult aspect of cultural anthropology

Accepted Answer

The fact that there are thousands of languages suggests that language is not completely biologically determined, as there is such diversity in how it is expressed across cultures.

Question 14

Nonhuman vocal systems are often referred to as __________ systems, because they do not combine different calls to produce new meanings.
A) closed
B) absolute
C) limited
D) restricted

Accepted Answer

Nonhuman vocal systems are often referred to as closed systems because they do not combine different calls to produce new meanings. They have a limited number of calls, each with a fixed meaning, and do not have the ability to combine them to create new messages.

Question 15

Children learn spoken language at __________.
A) about the same age in all cultures
B) a relatively later age in simpler societies
C) a wide range of ages, but with no correlation with societal complexity
D) a relatively later age in more complex societies

Accepted Answer

Children generally learn spoken language at about the same age in all cultures, although there may be some variation in the specific language(s) they are exposed to or in the degree to which they are encouraged to use language at different ages.

Question 16

What is a protolanguage?
A) spoken reconstructed language from which modern languages derived
B) the simplest form of language known, with no tenses or number terms
C) the language that early Homo sapiens is believed to have spoken
D) the rudimentary language used by the apes and monkeys

Accepted Answer

A protolanguage is a reconstructed language that is believed to have been spoken in the distant past and is considered to be the ancestor of one or more modern languages. Protolanguages are typically reconstructed by linguists based on the similarities and differences between related languages, as well as other available evidence.

Question 17

To what language family does English belong?
A) Indo-European
B) Indo-Iranian
C) Latin
D) Sanskrit

Accepted Answer

English belongs to the Indo-European language family, which includes many other languages such as Spanish, French, German, Italian, and many others.

Question 18

Which feature is shared by all creole languages?
A) the use of double negatives
B) a restricted set of color terms
C) an inclusion of gendered nouns
D) the use of a past tense

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which feature is shared by all creole...

Question 19

Any system of communication consists of publicly accepted __________ by which individuals try to share private experiences.
A) symbols
B) beliefs
C) ideas
D) facts

Accepted Answer

Symbols are the basis of any system of communication because they are the agreed upon representations of ideas, emotions, or objects. Through symbols, individuals are able to share their private experiences with others who understand and recognize the same symbols. Beliefs, ideas, and facts may also be shared through communication, but they are not the foundation or essence of communication itself.

Question 20

What is the major cause of the disappearance of native languages?
A) The languages are no longer being taught to children.
B) They are not able to create new terms to keep up with technological advances.
C) Most nations have outlawed the use of indigenous languages.
D) It is nearly impossible to learn a language without an associated writing system.

Accepted Answer

The major cause of the disappearance of native languages is that they are no longer being taught to children. As younger generations shift to using dominant languages, they fail to pass on the native languages to their children, which leads to the decline and eventual disappearance of those languages.

Quiz 4: Communication and Language

The earliest writing systems are about __________ years old.

What does it mean to say that a word or sound is arbitrary?

How many mutually unintelligible languages have been identified?

A study comparing Japanese and American facial expressions found that __________.

While English has 26 letters, it has __________ significant sounds.

Why is it so difficult to pinpoint the emergence of the earliest languages?

It is estimated that __________ percent of the world's languages are endangered.

In Robert Schrauf's comparative study, which group was used to represent immigrants with the greatest retention of their native language?

Animal systems, such as sound or odor, represent but not .

Why can we not use the languages of nonliterate societies to learn about the origins of language?

The controversial Sapir-Whorf hypothesis proposes that __________.

Research has shown that English people from higher-class backgrounds tend to have more __________ speech, conforming more to what is considered standard English.

The fact that there are thousands of languages tells us that language is __________.

Nonhuman vocal systems are often referred to as __________ systems, because they do not combine different calls to produce new meanings.

Children learn spoken language at __________.

What is a protolanguage?

To what language family does English belong?

Which feature is shared by all creole languages?

Any system of communication consists of publicly accepted __________ by which individuals try to share private experiences.

What is the major cause of the disappearance of native languages?