Ch12 Linguistic Anthropology Test Bank Answers

CHAPTER 12: TEST BANK QUESTIONS

KNOWLEDGE OF KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

Multiple Choice (12):

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge of Key Terms and Concepts Multiple Choice Question 1

1) Animal call systems

a. express information about things that are not currently in their present environment

b. can only communicate in response to real-world stimuli

c. can combine calls to make new call meanings

d. social diversity

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge of Key Terms and Concepts Multiple Choice Question 2

2) Koko and Washo were two primates who had learned

a. call sounds

b. American Sign Language

c. Morse code

d. English

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge of Key Terms and Concepts Multiple Choice Question 3

3) Words that came from the same ancestral language and originated from the same word are called

a. loan words

b. synonyms

c. cognate words

d. phonology

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge of Key Terms and Concepts Multiple Choice Question 4

4) What term refers to the structure of speech sounds?

a. cognates

b. philology

c. phonology

d. syntax

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge of Key Terms and Concepts Multiple Choice Question 5

5) What anthropological approach to language distinguishes the ways people actually speak from the ideal ways that people are supposed to speak?

a. descriptive linguistics

b. ethnography of speaking

c. phonology

d. ideological anthropology

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge of Key Terms and Concepts Multiple Choice Question 6

6) What is the study of grammatical categories, such as tense and word order, called?

a. phonology

b. morphology

c. ethnography

d. sociolinguistics

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge of Key Terms and Concepts Multiple Choice Question 7

7) When anthropologists study the way people use language in real settings rather than as a set of grammatical rules, what are they are focusing on?

a. parole

b. langue

c. phonetics

d. morphology

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge of Key Terms and Concepts Multiple Choice Question 8

8) A stoplight is a visual example of which of the following?

a. symbol

b. langue

c. sign

d. parole

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge of Key Terms and Concepts Multiple Choice Question 9

9) Anthropologist Sherry Ortner distinguished three kinds of culturally powerful symbols that include all of the following except

a. narrative symbols

b. key scenarios

c. summarizing symbols

d. elaborating symbols

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge of Key Terms and Concepts Multiple Choice Question 10

10) According to anthropologist Sherry Ortner’s analysis, the American flag is an example of

a. a key scenario

b. a sign

c. an elaborating symbol

d. a summarizing symbol

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge of Key Terms and Concepts Multiple Choice Question 11

11) What is the study of how people classify things in the world called?

a. ethnography

b. sociolinguistics

c. ethnoscience

d. biological determinism

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge of Key Terms and Concepts Multiple Choice Question 12

12) A language of mixed origin that developed from a complex blending of two parent languages is called

a. a pidgin language

b. a creole language

c. slang

d. a language ideology

Fill in the Blank (6):

Type: fill-in-blank

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge Of Key Terms And Concepts Fill in the Blank Question 1

1) The set of sounds and movements that animals make to communicate is called a __________.

a. call system.

Type: fill-in-blank

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge Of Key Terms And Concepts Fill in the Blank Question 2

2) The approach that compares ancient texts and documents to analyze long-term linguistic change is called __________.

a. philology

Type: fill-in-blank

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge Of Key Terms And Concepts Fill in the Blank Question 3

3) __________ are words or objects that stand for something else.

a. Signs

Type: fill-in-blank

Title: Chapter 12 Knowledge Of Key Terms And Concepts Fill in the Blank Question 4

4) Brent Berlin and Paul Kay found that if a language had only three color terms, they would always be black (dark), white (light), and __________.

a. red

Type: fill-in-blank

Title: Chapter 12 Knowledge Of Key Terms And Concepts Fill in the Blank Question 5

5) Words that differ by only one single sound contrast, like in the case of “ban,” “man,” and “pan,” are called __________ pairs.

a. minimal

Type: fill-in-blank

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge Of Key Terms And Concepts Fill in the Blank Question 6

6) __________ is the study of how sociocultural norms and contexts shape language use in society.

a. Sociolinguistics

True/False (5):

Type: true-false

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge of Key Terms and Concepts True/False Question 1

1) Most mammals use some form of call system to communicate with others of their species. Dogs and chimpanzees share an additional linguistic characteristic because they can communicate simple combinations of ideas about things they are not currently seeing.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge of Key Terms and Concepts True/False Question 2

2) Most people are unaware of the structure of a language until someone speaking it makes a mistake.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge of Key Terms and Concepts True/False Question 3

3) Languages change very slowly, taking generations or even centuries to shift.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge of Key Terms and Concepts True/False Question 4

4) According to Edward Sapir, language is the symbolic guide to culture.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: CHAPTER 12 Knowledge of Key Terms and Concepts True/False Question 5

5) America’s pattern of gender inequality is built into our linguistic practices.

a. True

b. False

COMPREHENSION OF FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS

Multiple Choice (12):

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension of Fundamental Concepts Multiple Choice Question 1

1) Which of the following is a feature of language?

a. it is used to communicate

b. it is systematic

c. it consists of sounds organized into words according to some sort of grammar

d. all of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension of Fundamental Concepts Multiple Choice Question 2

2) In evolutionary terms, humans are distinct from other primates with respect to their ability to use language because

a. we have much larger brains

b. we can learn American Sign Language

c. we can speak using a larynx

d. military protection of surplus food stores

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension of Fundamental Concepts Multiple Choice Question 3

3) Which of the following features are characteristic of language?

a. it is stable

b. it is flexible

c. it is dynamic

d. all of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension of Fundamental Concepts Multiple Choice Question 4

4) When language speakers use slang or metaphor, they are engaging in which concept suggested by French linguist Ferdinand de Saussure?

a. langue

b. parole

c. cognate

d. phonology

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension of Fundamental Concepts Multiple Choice Question 5

5) For pastoral groups such as the Dinka and the Nuer, the cow acts as which kind of symbol?

a. social symbol

b. summarizing symbol

c. narrative symbol

d. elaborating symbol

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension of Fundamental Concepts Multiple Choice Question 6

6) Edward Sapir urged cultural anthropologists to pay close attention to language during field research because

a. the “real world” is to a large extent unconsciously built from the language habits of a particular social group

b. language is a guide to “social reality”

c. we understand the material world through the language we speak

d. all of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension of Fundamental Concepts Multiple Choice Question 7

7) Talking about sports as a battlefield is an example of

a. a summarizing symbol

b. a simile

c. a metaphor

d. an elaborating symbol

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension of Fundamental Concepts Multiple Choice Question 8

8) The key scenario differs from other kinds of symbols because it

a. helps us talk about difficult emotions

b. synthesizes everything important to society in a single symbol

c. implies how people should act

d. explains complex relationships in a single symbol

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension of Fundamental Concepts Multiple Choice Question 9

9) Linguists refer to mixed languages with a simplified grammar that people rarely learn as a mother tongue as

a. a pidgin language

b. a creole language

c. a national language

d. slang

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension of Fundamental Concepts Multiple Choice Question 10

10) Which of the following is a contributing factor to the development of creoles, pidgins, and other hybrid forms of language?

a. colonialism

b. globalization

c. commerce

d. all of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension of Fundamental Concepts Multiple Choice Question 11

11) What would an ethnography of speaking entail?

a. documenting what people say

b. documenting what register they speak in

c. documenting what people hope they communicate when they speak

d. all of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension of Fundamental Concepts Multiple Choice Question 12

12) Linguistic anthropologist Dennis Tedlock developed a new approach to the ethnography of speaking called ethnopoetics. What viewpoint does ethnopoetics assume?

a. all language is poetry

b. all speech acts are performances

c. speech is most powerful when it is beautiful

d. ethnography should be poetry

Fill in the Blank (4):

Type: fill-in-blank

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension Of Fundamental Concepts Fill in the Blank Question 1

1) Although all primates use some form of call system, some, such as __________ and __________, are known to be capable of more complex communication than a simple call system.

a. Chimps, gorillas

Type: fill-in-blank

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension Of Fundamental Concepts Fill in the Blank Question 2

2) Ferdinand de Saussure made a distinction between the formal rules of language (__________) and the ways people speak it (__________).

a. Langue

b. parole

Type: fill-in-blank

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension Of Fundamental Concepts Fill in the Blank Question 3

3) __________ is the idea that people speaking different languages perceive the world differently.

a. Linguistic relativity

Type: fill-in-blank

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension Of Fundamental Concepts Fill in the Blank Question 4

4) On the island of Java in Indonesia, nearly every sentence marks a person’s __________ between speaker and listener.

a. social position

True/False (4):

Type: true-false

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension of Fundamental Concepts True/False Question 1

1) Although language is one of the most rule-bound aspects of human culture, it is also one of the least conscious.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension of Fundamental Concepts True/False Question 2

2) Because of the widespread use of mass media today, sociolinguists have found increasing homogeneity in the use of language in the United States.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension of Fundamental Concepts True/False Question 3

3) Elaborating symbols and summarizing symbols work in opposite ways.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: CHAPTER 12 Comprehension of Fundamental Concepts True/False Question 4

4) Countries find it relatively easy to decide what language its citizens will speak.

a. True

b. False

APPLICATION OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL CONCEPTS

Multiple Choice (7):

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Application of Anthropological Concepts Multiple Choice Question 1

1) If Jakob Grimm, who developed what has come to be known as Grimm’s law, were analyzing the historical relationships among the so-called dialects of Chinese (such as Cantonese and Mandarin), what data would he be looking for in his linguistic fieldwork?

a. the characters used by people who spoke these different dialects

b. the average height, weight, and cephalic index of speakers of these several dialects

c. whether the speakers they surveyed knew any other non-Chinese languages

d. how the speakers of each dialect pronounce different words with similar meanings in the several dialects

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Application of Anthropological Concepts Multiple Choice Question 2

2) If you were a linguistic anthropologist interested in language change in smaller American cities, building on William Labov’s studies from the 1980s, what method would you use?

a. compare text messages, instant messages, and Twitter entries from people of different ages

b. compare the professional slang of people in different occupations

c. analyze similarities and differences in the use of modern technology among people in different age groups

d. record how younger people, middle-aged people, and senior citizens pronounce ordinary American words

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Application of Anthropological Concepts Multiple Choice Question 3

3) If you were conducting a symbolic analysis of TV programs and wanted to identify a key scenario such as the Horatio Alger myth, which of the following would you focus on?

a. the presence or absence of wealth as a sign of social status in particular programs

b. plots that are repeated in many of the programs that American viewers interpret as commonplace social experiences

c. the different dialects spoken by different cast members

d. the symbolic use of power in modern American culture

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Application of Anthropological Concepts Multiple Choice Question 4

4) If Benjamin Whorf were trying to find further proof that grammar shapes the way people perceive the world, which of the following would not be a focus of his research?

a. the structure of tenses in English and other languages spoken in the United States

b. the number of basic color terms compared with English

c. the structure of person pronouns in the several languages

d. the in-depth analysis of the grammars of European languages

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Application of Anthropological Concepts Multiple Choice Question 5

5) The Canadian government helps preserve the use of French by requiring all official documents to be written in both English and French. The provincial government of the Canadian province of Quebec has implemented further regulations that require that signs have French letters larger than English letters. Why is the size of letters important?

a. symbolically, the size of the letters suggests the importance of the language

b. the regulations themselves give French Canadians a feeling that they are as important as English speakers, even though they are in the minority

c. it is impossible to control what language ordinary Canadians use, but they can evaluate and distinguish the size of letters on signs

d. all of the above.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Application of Anthropological Concepts Multiple Choice Question 6

6) If you studied speech patterns such as those analyzed in Robin Lakoff’s study of gendered speech, you might find that “talking like a lady”

a. contributes to gender equality in the workplace

b. marginalizes women’s voices in work contexts

c. demonstrates that women and men are equal

d. builds certainty and trust

Short Answer (3):

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Application of Anthropological Concepts Short Answer Question 1

1) If you wanted to study how athletes and nonathletes used language differently on your campus, how would you go about finding this out?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Application of Anthropological Concepts Short Answer Question 2

2) According to linguistic anthropologists, what are the differences between an animal call system and human language?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Application of Anthropological Concepts Short Answer Question 3

3) How can language mark our social position and status? In your answer apply the theory of language ideology.

Essay (3):

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Application of Anthropological Concepts Essay Question 1

1) How is communication between animals (call system communication) different from human language?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Application of Anthropological Concepts Essay Question 2

2) Imagine you were studying language and performance in the American judicial system. How would you design an ethnography of speaking in that setting?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Application of Anthropological Concepts Essay Question 3

3) How do language ideologies marginalize groups of people? Give an example to illustrate your answer.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS

Essays (4):

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Opportunities for Analysis and Synthesis Essay Question 1

1) With the rise of social media during the past decade, new terms have entered American English. How can there be language changes if we are not consciously aware that we are changing the way we speak?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Opportunities for Analysis and Synthesis Essay Question 2

2) How can language be used to marginalize people who are not currently in high-status positions?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Opportunities for Analysis and Synthesis Essay Question 3

3) In England, the dialect one speaks marks you as a person of a very specialized social class. What is it about our own regional or social dialect that allows people to classify us and view us through unflattering stereotypes?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: CHAPTER 12 Opportunities for Analysis and Synthesis Essay Question 4

4) How does understanding that men and women speak differently, even though they both speak American English, help us understand patterns of social behavior?