Language and Culture

Question 1

What is an “utterance”?

Answer 1

It is the sounds made by one person to another.

Question 2

What is “locution”?

Answer 2

They are words placed in a sentence.

Question 3

What is “illocution”?

Answer 3

It is words places in sequence and the context in which this is done.

Question 4

What are the 5 sorts of meanings people can use language to communicate?

Answer 4

Representatives (to make a statement)
Directives (to make someone do something)
Commissives (to make a commitment - a promise)
Expressives (express psychological or emotional state)
Declarations (to make a statement, and by doing so, making it true)

Question 5

What is “linguistic relativity”?

Answer 5

The theory which suggests that people speaking different languages have different world views.

Question 6

What 2 categories do we know from the linguistic category model?

Answer 6

Abstract - what people are like and concrete language - what people do.

Question 7

What is “paralanguage”?

Answer 7

Nonverbal elements of speech which accompany spoken language.

Question 8

What is speach style?

Answer 8

The way something is said rather than the content of it.

Question 9

What is the matched-guise technique?

Answer 9

It is a way of measuring attitudes just from the speech style.

Question 9

What are social markers?

Answer 9

They are features of speech style that transmit cues about mood, context, status, or group membership.

Question 10

What is an “ethnolinguistic group”?

Answer 10

It is a group which is defined principally in terms of its language.

Question 10

Describe the “ethnolinguistic identity theory”?

Answer 10

The theory suggests that people’s sense of identity is shaped by their language and culture.

Question 11

What is the “speech accommodation theory”?

Answer 11

The theory that people change their speech style to the context.

Question 12

How is “speech convergence” different from “speech divergence”?

Answer 12

Speech convergence is adjusting one’s speech style to match that of the other person, while speech divergence means intentionally making one’s speech style different to assert one’s identity/status/etc.

Question 13

What are the 2 factors based on which we recognise facial expression?

Answer 13

ontogenetic factors (cross-cultural commonalities in early socialisation) and phylogenetic factors (innate link between emotions and facial expressions)

Question 14

Describe what is “visual dominance behavior”?

Answer 14

It is the tendency to gaze fixedly when speaking at a person of a lower status

Question 15

What are “kinesics”?

Answer 15

Linguistics of body communication.

Question 16

What are “emblems” in body language?

Answer 16

These are gestures used to replace spoken language.

Question 17

What are 5 distinct categories of touch?

Answer 17

1. positive affect 2. playful 3. control 4. ritualistic (greetings, departures) 5.task-related 6. negative affect 7. aggressive touches

Question 18

What are “proxemics”?

Answer 18

It is a study of interpersonal distance.

Question 19

What are some features of CMC? (computer-mediater communication)

Answer 19

1. restricts paralanguage 2. compromises trust 3. can encourage honesty 4. suppresses the amount of information 5. prevents interaction and group performance initially, but people adapt

Question 20

What is the etic-emic distinction?

Answer 20

It is the contrast if a psychological construct applies cross-culturally or is bound to one culture. Etic - universal, emic - one group/culture.

Question 21

Define “subculture of violence.”

Answer 21

It is a subgroup of society in which higher levels of violence are accepted.

Question 22

What is “culture of honor”?

Answer 22

A culture where it is accepted for male violence to be the way of addressing threats to social reputation or economic position.

Question 23

Describe “machismo.”

Answer 23

It is the code under which differences in opinion must be met with fists or other weapons.

Question 24

What kind of self produces West and what kind of self produces East culture.

Answer 24

West: independent, East: interdependent.

Question 25

What is “prisoner’s dilemma”?

Answer 25

A game scenario where 2 individuals have to decide to cooperate or compete with the outcome determined by both choices.

Question 26

What is “contact hypothesis”?

Answer 26

It is the hypothesis that suggests that bringing 2 opposing groups together will make them cooperate better and will lower the differences between the two groups.

Question 27

What are the 4 ways that immigrants acculturate?

Answer 27

1. integration (maintain home culture & relate to dominant culture) 2. assimilation (give up home culture & embrace dominant culture) 3. separation (maintain home culture & isolate from dominant culture) 4. marginalization (give up home culture but fail to relate properly to dominant culture)

Question 28

What is the “post-modern paradox”?

Answer 28

It is when a society claims to be embracing diversity but only recognizes certain aspects of the culture/identity and suppresses/ignores others.