Chapter 6: Language, Communication and Belief

Question 1

cargo cults

Answer 1

involve the belief that certain ritualistic acts will lead to a bestowing of material wealth (“cargo”

Question 2

cults

Answer 2

systems of veneration and devo- tion among a relatively small group of people having beliefs or practices regarded by outsiders as weird or sinister, or, at least, weirder than some of the belief systems that are legally accepted as religions.

Question 3

cultural nationalism

Answer 3

is an effort to protect regional and national cultures from the homogenizing impact of globalization, especially from the penetrating influence of U.S. culture

Question 4

cuneiform

Answer 4

The Sumerians—who lived in Mesopotamia, which is effectively modern-day Iraq—are believed to be one of the earliest people to establish a writing system

Question 5

dialects

Answer 5

feature pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary that are place-based

Question 6

diaspora

Answer 6

the spatial dispersion of a previously homogeneous group.

Question 7

established churches

Answer 7

recognized by law as the official church of the state.

Question 8

fusion language

Answer 8

influenced by so many other languages.

Question 9

functional illiteracy

Answer 9

means that an individual’s read- ing and writing skills are inadequate to manage daily living or hold down a job that requires reading skills beyond a basic level.

Question 10

graffiti

Answer 10

refers to the inscriptions—largely figure drawings—scratched on walls in ancient Rome

Question 11

hajj

Answer 11

the obligatory once-in-a-lifetime journey of Muslims to Mecca.

Question 12

islam

Answer 12

is an Arabic term that means
“submission,” specifically submission
to God’s will

Question 13

islamism

Answer 13

is an anticolonial, anti-imperial political movement

Question 14

language

Answer 14

a means of communicating ideas or feelings by way of a conventionalized system of signs, gestures, marks, or articulate vocal sounds

Question 15

language branch

Answer 15

is a collection of languages that possesses a definite common origin but have split into individual languages.

Question 16

language family

Answer 16

is a collection of individual languages believed to be related in their prehistoric origin

Question 17

language group

Answer 17

a cluster of individual languages that are part of a language branch, have shared a common origin in the recent past, and have relatively similar grammar and vocabulary.

Question 18

language hearth

Answer 18

are a subset of cultural hearths; they are the
source areas of languages.

Question 19

language tree

Answer 19

a representation of the relationships of languages to each other.

Question 20

lingua franca

Answer 20

a common language among speakers whose native languages are different

Question 21

linguistic drift

Answer 21

a process of random change inherent to all languages

Question 22

linguistic weathering

Answer 22

a sort of “wearing out” of words

Question 23

literacy

Answer 23

the ability to read and write

Question 24

mother tongue

Answer 24

a language that a person has learned from birth or the first few years of life

Question 25

muslim

Answer 25

is a member of the community of believers whose duty is obedience and submission to the will of God

Question 26

mutually intelligible

Answer 26

When speakers of different but related varieties of languages are able to understand each other

Question 27

official language

Answer 27

is made in government offices, in the courts, and in the schools and is less alive and more artificial, though it, of course, also changes.

Question 28

organized religions

Answer 28

When belief systems and associated rituals are systematically arranged and formally established

Question 29

pictograms

Answer 29

pictures meant to represent words.

Question 30

place name (toponym)

Answer 30

way that language and geography come together

Question 31

proto languages

Answer 31

also known as common languages

Question 32

religion

Answer 32

are belief systems and sets of practices that incorporate the idea of a power higher than humans

Question 33

sacred spaces

Answer 33

are physical settings recognized by individuals or groups as worthy of special attention because they are the sites of special religious experiences and events

Question 34

slang

Answer 34

is language that consists of nonstandard words and phrases and is a common occurrence among most language

Question 35

vocal fry

Answer 35

is the practice of speaking in the lowest voice register to produce a popping or creaky sound at a very low frequency.