Chap55

When languages are depicted as leaves on trees, the trunks of the trees represent 17) ______ A) possible prehistoric superfamilies. B) language families. C) language groups. D) dialects. E) language sects.

b

Which statement best describes the use of English on the Internet? 8) _______ A) Different Internets exist for most other widely spoken languages, like Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. B) English has become less dominant but is still the leading Internet language. C) English has become more dominant as the most common language on the Internet. D) The number of English-speaking Internet users continues to be above 50%.

b

A group of languages that share a common origin but have since evolved into individual languages is a 21) ______ A) language branch. B) language group. C) dialect. D) language root. E) language family.

a

A pidgin language 12) ______ A) has no native speakers. B) stems from folk culture. C) is spread by popular culture. D) all of the above E) none of the above

a

English is the most important language in North America primarily because of A) the diffusion of English colonies. B) the global dominance of the United States. C) prohibitions against foreign languages. D) the Norman conquest. E) official government policy.

a

Hebrew is an example of 19) ______ A) a revived language. B) an isolated language. C) an extinct language. D) an Altaic language. E) a language family

a

The Icelandic language has changed less than any other Germanic language because of 4) _______ A) Iceland's relative isolation from other places. B) migration by German tribes. C) Iceland's close contact with other people and activities. D) the extinction of the East Germanic group. E) continuous exchange with Norway and Sweden.

a

The first speakers of the language that evolved into English were tribes that lived in present-day 34) ______ A) Denmark. B) United States. C) Switzerland. D) Italy. E) France.

a

The language spoken by soldiers stationed throughout the Roman Empire was known as 28) ______ A) Vulgar Latin. B) Catalan. C) a Romance language. D) a standard language. E) a dialect of Latin.

a

The main difference between languages in the same family, branch, or group is how A) recently in time the languages were once the same. B) similar the cultures of the speakers of each language are. C) closely the speakers of each language live to each other. D) all of the above

a

The second-largest language family is 39) ______ A) Sino-Tibetan. B) Dravidian. C) Austronesian. D) Afro-Asiatic. E) Indo-European.

a

Urdu is the most important language of 45) ______ A) Pakistan. B) Bangladesh. C) Sri Lanka. D) India. E) Iran.

a

When people who speak a given language migrate to a different location and become isolated from other members of their group 9) _______ A) isolation usually results in the differentiation of one language into two. B) they immediately develop a literary tradition. C) they lose their linguistic abilities. D) their language usually shows very little change even over a long period of time. E) groups form multiple dialects.

a

A form of a language spoken in a local area is a 50) ______ A) language branch. B) dialect. C) language family. D) language root. E) language group.

b

Basque is a good example of a(n) 30) ______ A) language group. B) isolated language. C) lingua franca. D) language family.

b

Immigrants to which American colonies had the most diverse backgrounds? 11) ______ A) New England B) Middle Atlantic C) Southeast D) Northern E) French Canadian

b

Marija Gimbutas' theory points to the first speakers of the Indo-European language as the ancient 48) ______ A) Germans. B) Kurgans. C) Russians. D) Celts. E) Dravidians.

b

Official languages in Switzerland include all but which of the following? 13) ______ A) Romansh B) Flemish C) French D) German E) Italian

b

The Kurgans 37) ______ A) were a Germanic tribe that invaded England. B) were horse and cattle herders from the grassland steppes of present day Russia and Kazakhstan. C) were the earliest speakers of Sino-Caucasian. D) preserved Basque in present-day Spain. E) conquered much of East Asia several thousand years ago.

b

The language family encompassing the languages of the People's Republic of China is 46) ______ A) Indo-Iranian. B) Sino-Tibetan. C) Indo-European. D) Austro-Asiatic. E) Mandarin.

b

The survival of any language relies on 40) ______ A) rapid migration into other areas. B) the political and military strength of its speakers. C) the homogenization of its dialects. D) the spread of its speakers' material culture.

b

A lingua franca is 31) ______ A) an extinct language that has been revived. B) a language used by French colonial administrations. C) a language that is mutually understood by people who have different native languages. D) an official language in a region of the world different from where the language originated. E) an English word that has entered the French language.

c

According to Colin Renfrew's Anatolian hearth theory, Indo-European languages diffused across Europe 10) ______ A) entirely by sea. B) by way of the Kurgan homeland. C) with the diffusion of agriculture. D) following the silk road. E) by warriors on horseback.

c

An Indo-European language is spoken in which of these European countries? 26) ______ A) Finland B) Hungary C) Bulgaria D) Estonia E) all of the above

c

Basque is spoken primarily in 38) ______ A) Brittany. B) Barcelona, Spain. C) the Pyrenees Mountains. D) the Swiss Alps. E) Liechtenstein

c

Every European country is dominated by Indo-European speakers except 22) ______ A) Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. B) Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. C) Finland, Hungary, and Estonia. D) Spain, Italy, and Portugal.

c

The four most frequently spoken branches of Indo-European include all but 36) ______ A) Balto-Slavic. B) Germanic C) Celtic. D) Indo-Iranian. E) Romance.

c

The most important language family in Sub-Saharan Africa is 49) ______ A) altaic. B) Nilo-Saharan. C) Niger-Congo. D) Afro-Asiatic. E) Khoisan.

c

The most widely spoken language in Brazil is 47) ______ A) Creole. B) Catalan. C) Portuguese. D) Spanish. E) French

c

The second most widely spoken language family in Europe is 20) ______ A) Indo-European. B) Balto-Slavic. C) Uralic. D) Romance. E) Celtic.

c

When languages are depicted as leaves on trees, the roots of the trees below the surface represent 25) ______ A) language sects. B) language groups. C) possible prehistoric superfamilies. D) language families. E) dialects.

c

Which group of the Germanic family is extinct? A) Uber Germanic B) West Germanic C) East Germanic D) North Germanic E) South Germanic

c

Which of the following is not a Romance language? 5) _______ A) Italian B) French C) Bulgarian D) Portuguese E) Romanian

c

________ is to Canada as ________ is to the United States. 32) ______ A) Conflict over ethnicity; conflict over language B) Presidential government; parliamentary government C) French; Spanish D) Northern hemisphere; southern hemisphere

c

Australia and New Zealand's language policies differ today in that Australia 35) ______ A) recognizes Maori as an official Aboriginal language whereas New Zealand does not. B) requires immigrants to take a dictation test whereas the New Zealand test is written. C) was settled by English colonists but the original colonial language of New Zealand was French. D) regards English as a way to promote cultural diversity while New Zealand gives greater support to other languages.

d

English has achieved unprecedented acceptance globally due to 43) ______ A) the role of colonialism and imperialism. B) the diffusion of religion from MDCs to LDCs. C) the rise of popular culture and the decline of folk culture. D) its role as the common language of a global economy and culture.

d

English is part of which language family? 23) ______ A) West Germanic B) North Germanic C) Romance D) Indo-European E) Germanic

d

Franglais is 7) _______ A) the standard language of French. B) a language used by French colonial administrations. C) the lingua franca of France. D) the use of English in the French language. E) a dialect of French.

d

The Flemings and Walloons live in what country? 16) ______ A) France B) Liechtenstein C) Switzerland D) Belgium E) South Africa

d

The large number of individual languages documented in Africa has resulted primarily from 42) ______ A) frequent migration by the different tribal groups. B) colonial administration of native lands. C) repeated invasions by outsiders. D) thousands of years of isolation between tribal groups. E) introduction of many different languages by the colonial powers

d

When languages are depicted as leaves on trees, the trunks of the trees represent 17) ______ A) possible prehistoric superfamilies. B) language families. C) language groups. D) dialects. E) language sects.

d

A literary tradition is 6) _______ A) a form of a language used for official government business. B) a form of a language spoken in a particular area. C) a collection of languages related to each other. D) the variety of dialects in a language. E) the written form of a language.

e

Both the Angles and the Normans contributed to the development of the English language, because they 33) ______ A) spoke Germanic languages. B) diffused English around the world. C) spoke languages derived from Latin. D) agreed to divide England. E) invaded England.

e

British and American English differ in all but which of the following? 44) ______ A) spelling B) pronunciation C) prevalent dialects D) vocabulary E) alphabet

e

Celtic languages 14) ______ A) were threatened by extinction in England. B) are still spoken by people in France. C) have an extensive body of literature. D) have been revived in some parts of the British Isles. E) all of the above

e

Dialects developed within England primarily because 15) ______ A) the Viking invaders did not remain long in England. B) British Received Pronunciation became the standard dialect. C) commerce developed more slowly in England than on the European continent. D) the Normans invaded from the south. E) different Germanic invaders settled in different regions

e

English is part of which language group? 41) ______ A) Germanic B) Semitic C) North Germanic D) Indo-European E) West Germanic

e

Germanic invaders of England included which tribe? 27) ______ A) Saxons B) Angles C) Jutes D) Normans E) A, B, and C

e

Russian is part of what language branch? 29) ______ A) Altaic B) Indo-Iranian C) Romance D) Germanic E) Balto-Slavic

e

The geographic study of the distribution of languages provides a good example of 24) ______ A) political conflicts that arise due to ethnic tensions. B) the role and spread of religion across much of the world. C) the interplay between globalization and local diversity. D) the diffusion of folk culture in different areas of the world.

x