chapter 6

Question 1

language

Answer 1

a form of communication based on symbolic sounds that when put together have meaning

Question 2

communication

Answer 2

process of sharing information through language or non-verbal systems of meaning

Question 3

linguistics

Answer 3

scientific study of language

Question 4

descriptive linguistics

Answer 4

analysis of the structure of language and how words are put together

Question 5

historical linguistics

Answer 5

how words have changed in the way they are used over time

Question 6

paralanguage

Answer 6

a focus on how people deliver their spoken message

Question 7

haptic communication

Answer 7

non-verbal communication that involves touch

Question 8

proxemics

Answer 8

non-verbal communication that involves use of space, idea around personal space

Question 9

high context vs low context cultures

Answer 9

high context- focus on the delivery instead of what is said, tend to be more communal/consensus based, decisions based also on emotional factors
low context- what is said is more important than the delivery, individualistic, straight forward

Question 10

sociolinguistics

Answer 10

study of language in relation to society and the way language is used in society

Question 11

factors that determine how people speak

Answer 11

education, social class, ethnicity, gender, social prestige,

Question 12

code switching

Answer 12

talking in a certain way or language depending on the situation

Question 13

how does language form social identity

Answer 13

1. the way you speak can determine the value prescribed to you by society

Question 14

how does language form national identity

Answer 14

1. language can be a form of external unity throughout the nation
2. it can also be a form of internal divisions in multicultural societies

Question 15

ebonics and the way it shapes society

Answer 15

1. ebonics has a negative view by society and it forms social identity in the sense that people who speak ebonics are seen as of a lower class
2. not using ebonics can also lead to being excluded from communities
3. children who speak ebonics are generally at a disadvantage in schools and in the work force

Question 16

indexical

Answer 16

forms of address (Mr. Mrs. etc)

Question 17

what determines indexicals

Answer 17

social and power relations between the subjects

Question 18

when is a language a language

Answer 18

when it can be understood by its speakers and receivers (mutual intelligibility)

Question 19

dialect continuum

Answer 19

spectrum that goes from the mutual intelligibility of two languages to the unintelligibility

Question 20

lingua franca

Answer 20

language used when speakers do not understand each other’s native tongue

Question 21

pidgin

Answer 21

simplified language of the mother tongue

Question 22

creole

Answer 22

language created when English settlers started communicating with the locals

Question 23

mixed languages

Answer 23

combination of 2 languages

Question 24

dialect

Answer 24

the way of pronunciation that varies by class or region

Question 25

standard dialect

Answer 25

the dialect most widely accepted and institutionally supported

Question 26

Saphire-whorf hypothesis

Answer 26

a person’s language shapes their perception of the world and ultimately their behaviour because language determines the way you define things, and categorize them which ultimately defines how you see them

Question 27

linguistic determinism

Answer 27

the language you speak determines your perception of the world

Question 28

linguistic relativism

Answer 28

language classifies and categories the world differently relative to the culture

Question 29

criticisms of saphir-whorf hypothesis

Answer 29

1.how do you determine/prove language determines culture
2. if language influences thought, the language must pre-cede thought, but pre-linguistic babies have thoughts
3.

Question 30

consensus on language and it’s influence on perception

Answer 30

language sets up a filter between the human being and the world he or she perceives. Heightening certain perceptions and diming others.