Chapter 5

Question 1

What are phonemes?

Answer 1

the minimal sound contrasts that distinguish meaning in a language

Question 2

What is the term for variations in speech due to different contexts or situations?

Answer 2

style shifts

Question 2

What term refers to the existence of “high” and “low” dialects within a single language?

Answer 2

diglossia

Question 3

Which term refers to the study of communication through body movements and facial expressions?

Answer 3

kinesics

Question 3

Which of the following was studied by Sapir and Whorf?

Answer 3

the influence of language on thought

Question 3

Which of the following is true of nonhuman primate communication?

Answer 3

No animal other than humans has anything approaching the complexity of language.

Question 3

Sapir and Whorf argued that the grammatical categories of different languages lead their speakers to think about things in particular ways. However, studies on the differences between female and male Americans with regard to the color terms they use suggest that

Answer 3

contrary to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, it might be more reasonable to say that changes in culture produce changes in language and thought, rather than the reverse.

Question 4

________ refers to the specialized set of terms and distinctions that are particularly important to certain groups.

Answer 4

Focal vocabulary

Question 4

To what does style shifts refer?

Answer 4

varying one’s speech in different social contexts

Question 4

A sociolinguist studies

Answer 4

dialects and styles in a single language.

Question 5

Who was the first chimpanzee to learn ASL?

Answer 5

Washoe

Question 5

________ are terms of respect or terms used to honor people.

Answer 5

Honorifics

Question 5

Which term refers to the scientific study of a spoken language?

Answer 5

descriptive linguistics

Question 5

Linguistic ________ is the principle that all languages are equally effective means of communication.

Answer 5

relativity

Question 6

Which term refers to the study of speech sounds?

Answer 6

phonology

Question 6

The idea that different languages produce different patterns of thought is known as the ________ hypothesis.

Answer 6

Sapir-Whorf

Question 6

________ affect(s) lexical distinctions within semantic domains.

Answer 6

Cultural contrasts and changes

Question 7

Which is an example of a semantic domain?

Answer 7

color terminology

Question 8

What does AAVE refer to?

Answer 8

African American Vernacular English

Question 9

Which term refers to languages that are linguistically closely related?

Answer 9

subgroups

Question 10

Phonology is the study of speech sounds.

Answer 10

true

Question 11

Recent genetic research suggests that a speech-friendly mutation took hold in humans around 150,000 years ago.

Answer 11

true

Question 12

In all languages, the same honorifics have the same meaning, regardless of context.

Answer 12

false

Question 12

In this chapter, an alternative to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that cultural changes lead to changes in language.

Answer 12

true

Question 12

Sapir and Whorf argued that all humans share a single set of universal grammatical categories.

Answer 12

false

Question 13

Language may be spoken or written.

Answer 13

true

Question 13

One of the factors contributing to linguistic diversity is how people feel about their home community versus the outside world.

Answer 13

true

Question 14

All the morphemes in a language and their meanings are known as a lexicon.

Answer 14

true

Question 15

Style shifts refers to varying one’s speech in different social contexts.

Answer 15

true

Question 16

What term refers to the arrangement and order of words into sentences?

Answer 16

syntax