Chapter 5 Flashcards
What are phonemes?
the minimal sound contrasts that distinguish meaning in a language
What is the term for variations in speech due to different contexts or situations?
style shifts
What term refers to the existence of “high” and “low” dialects within a single language?
diglossia
Which term refers to the study of communication through body movements and facial expressions?
kinesics
Which of the following was studied by Sapir and Whorf?
the influence of language on thought
Which of the following is true of nonhuman primate communication?
No animal other than humans has anything approaching the complexity of language.
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
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.
________ refers to the specialized set of terms and distinctions that are particularly important to certain groups.
Focal vocabulary
To what does style shifts refer?
varying one’s speech in different social contexts
A sociolinguist studies
dialects and styles in a single language.
Who was the first chimpanzee to learn ASL?
Washoe
________ are terms of respect or terms used to honor people.
Honorifics
Which term refers to the scientific study of a spoken language?
descriptive linguistics
Linguistic ________ is the principle that all languages are equally effective means of communication.
relativity
Which term refers to the study of speech sounds?
phonology
The idea that different languages produce different patterns of thought is known as the ________ hypothesis.
Sapir-Whorf
________ affect(s) lexical distinctions within semantic domains.
Cultural contrasts and changes
Which is an example of a semantic domain?
color terminology
What does AAVE refer to?
African American Vernacular English
Which term refers to languages that are linguistically closely related?
subgroups
Phonology is the study of speech sounds.
true
Recent genetic research suggests that a speech-friendly mutation took hold in humans around 150,000 years ago.
true
In all languages, the same honorifics have the same meaning, regardless of context.
false
In this chapter, an alternative to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that cultural changes lead to changes in language.
true
Sapir and Whorf argued that all humans share a single set of universal grammatical categories.
false
Language may be spoken or written.
true
One of the factors contributing to linguistic diversity is how people feel about their home community versus the outside world.
true
All the morphemes in a language and their meanings are known as a lexicon.
true
Style shifts refers to varying one’s speech in different social contexts.
true
What term refers to the arrangement and order of words into sentences?
syntax
