Chapter 5 Study Questions
The Statute of Pleading was enacted by the British Parliament in 1362 in order to adopt English as the official language of court proceedings instead of which language? a) Flemish b) French c) Spanish d) Danish e) Celtic
b) French
To which branch of the Indo-European language families does Dutch belong? a) Indo-Iranian. b) West Germanic. c) North Germanic. d) Balto-Slavic. e) Romance.
b) West Germanic.
Hebrew is an example of a) an isolated language. b) a revived language. c) an extinct language. d) a vibrant isolated language. e) a language family.
b) a revived language.
Which of the following is NOT a way British and American English differ? a) pronunciation b) alphabet c) spelling d) vocabulary e) prevalent dialects
b) alphabet
Romance branch languages have achieved worldwide importance because a) they closely approximate English in grammar and vocabulary. b) colonial and imperial activity distributed these languages to far reaching territories. c) they alternate being the global lingua franca. d) they are the languages of governments. e) they are more frequently taught in middle schools today.
b) colonial and imperial activity distributed these languages to far reaching territories.
Which of the following is an outcome of the dominance of English as a lingua franca? a) increased difficulty for foreign students' admission to English-speaking universities b) decreased the need for Americans to learn other languages c) elimination of other languages as lingua francas worldwide d) protection of endangered languages e) decreased the need for people in smaller countries to learn English.
b) decreased the need for Americans to learn other languages
Which language is NOT a Romance language? a) Greek b) Spanish c) French d) Italian e) Romanian
a) Greek
Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding the spatial study of languages? a) If two groups have few connections with each other after migrating, the languages used by the two groups will begin to diverge. b) Language is like luggage; it can be lost when you migrate or travel. c) People in two locations use different languages because of regular interaction among them. d) People living in Madagascar and the Philippines are too far apart to speak languages from the same language family. e) People in two locations use different languages because of migration from one location to the other.
a) If two groups have few connections with each other after migrating, the languages used by the two groups will begin to diverge.
Catalán-Valencian-Balear represents a language and various dialects spoken in a) Spain, Andorra, and the islands of Majorca and Ibiza. b) Italy and the islands of Sicily and Corsica. c) Greece and the islands of Ithaki and Lesbos. d) Switzerland and the Alsace region. e) Morocco and Gibraltar.
a) Spain, Andorra, and the islands of Majorca and Ibiza.
Several efforts globally are being carried out to standardize languages. Which of the following is NOT taking place? a) The British and Americans meet regularly to standardize pronunciation and spelling. b) French was standardized according to that spoken in Paris. c) Brazil, Portugal, and several Portuguese speaking nations in Africa agreed to standardize Portuguese written form. d) Portugal disagrees with Brazil over some standardization because it favors Western Hemisphere Portuguese. e) Members of the Spanish Royal Academy produce and update an official dictionary of Spanish words.
a) The British and Americans meet regularly to standardize pronunciation and spelling.
Carmel O'Shannessy, a linguist from the University of Michigan, recorded this new language in Australia's Northern Territory. a) Warlpiri rampaku b) Clallam c) Kora Aka d) Myaamia e) Liv
a) Warlpiri rampaku
A lingua franca is a) a language understood by people who have different native languages. b) an extinct language that has been revived. c) a language used by French colonial administrations. d) an English word that has entered the French language. e) an official language in a region of the world different from where the language originated.
a) a language understood by people who have different native languages.
English is the most important language in North America primarily because of a) a legacy of colonization by the English. b) the global dominance of the United States. c) the Norman conquest. d) official government policy. e) prohibitions against foreign languages.
a) a legacy of colonization by the English.
A language that is unrelated to any other is a(n) a) isolated language. b) vulgar language. c) developing language. d) endangered language. e) scheduled language.
a) isolated language.
English has achieved unprecedented acceptance globally due to a) its role as the common language of a global economy and culture. b) the rise of folk culture and the decline of popular culture. c) the refusal to use English in colonial and imperial expansion. d) the diffusion of religion to industrialized nations. e) the diffusion of command economies across much of the world.
a) its role as the common language of a global economy and culture.
The English language is a "second" or "third" language in many regions where it is used as a(n) a) lingua franca. b) colonial dialect. c) global lingua. d) Indo-European import. e) expansion diffusion.
a) lingua franca.
The roots of the trees below the surface in a diagram of language family trees represent a) possible prehistoric superfamilies. b) dialects. c) language sects. d) language families. e) language groups.
a) possible prehistoric superfamilies.
One of the ways that languages vary by gender is a) that many languages use distinctive endings of verbs and nouns that specify gender. b) cultural change that makes language use more equal. c) addressing letters to a male or female person. d) efforts to make language gender neutral. e) the online use of slang and argumentative language.
a) that many languages use distinctive endings of verbs and nouns that specify gender.
A language that was nearly extinct in British-controlled areas but is now being revived is a) English. b) Scottish. c) Celtic. d) Spanish. e) Iranian.
c) Celtic.
The first speakers of the language that evolved into English were tribes that lived in present-day a) France. b) United States. c) Denmark. d) Italy. e) Switzerland.
c) Denmark.
Compare the diffusion of English to the diffusion of Romance languages, and select the statement that is true for both. a) English diffused to Germany and France, displacing the Romance languages spoken there. b) English and the Romance languages both diffused because of the spread of Latin. c) English and the Romance languages both spread widely due in part to military and political domination. d) English and Romance languages diffused because Latin speakers adopted the languages of German and Slavic speakers after the collapse of the Roman Empire in the fifth century. e) English and Romance languages both diffused when the French established the first successful colonies in North America.
c) English and the Romance languages both spread widely due in part to military and political domination.
Which of the following is NOT true? a) English is not the official language of the United Kingdom or Australia. b) English is the official language of more than 50 countries across the globe. c) English is the official language of the United States. d) The continent of Europe has more official languages than any other continent in the world. e) Some countries have more than one official language.
c) English is the official language of the United States.
Which process is most likely to result in the extinction of a language? a) Older people understand the language but younger people apply different meanings to the words. b) After creating a literary tradition, the books are banned and no one can read in the language any more. c) Only older people know it fluently, young people no longer learn it, and the last speaker dies of old age. d) When the speakers of a language are isolated by mountains and there are no shops or offices that use it. e) Following its discovery, people lose interest in it in favor of a more useful language.
c) Only older people know it fluently, young people no longer learn it, and the last speaker dies of old age.
Use Figure 5-1, the second most widely spoken language family in Europe is a) Celtic. b) Balto-Slavic. c) Uralic. d) Indo-European. e) Romance.
c) Uralic.
Which of the following is TRUE about Korean? a) Korean uses two systems of phonetic symbols. b) To simplify trade Korean is written with the familiar Roman alphabet. c) Written Korean has a letter for each sound. d) Korean is essentially Chinese spoken on the Korean peninsula. e) The origin of Korean is unknown.
c) Written Korean has a letter for each sound.
The line which demarcates the an area in which dropping of the "r" from words occurs is called an a) isopleth. b) isohyet. c) isogloss. d) isoline. e) isobar.
c) isogloss.
A group of languages that share a common ancestor before recorded history is a a) dialect. b) language root. c) language family. d) language group. e) language branch.
c) language family.
Which of the following is NOT TRUE regarding the Swahili language? a) it is a lingua franca developed over centuries of interaction between African language speakers and Arab traders b) it is an official language of the East African countries of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda c) like most African languages, it has no literary tradition d) it belongs to the Niger-Congo language family e) at least 50 million people use it as a second language
c) like most African languages, it has no literary tradition
Tracing the origin and diffusion of languages is complex in part because a) speculation by some experts has been proven wrong. b) languages and branches developed before recorded history. c) the origin of language families predates recorded history so can only be speculated about. d) the collapse of the Roman Empire caused communication to decline. e) the Treaty of Tordesillas banned research into language origins for hundreds of years.
c) the origin of language families predates recorded history so can only be speculated about.
Which of the following correctly pairs a country with the major language spoken there? a) Afghanistan - Kurdish b) India - Farsi c) Serbia - Russian d) Norway - Dutch e) Iran - Persian
e) Iran - Persian
Gumbo and jazz are terms that originated in the English dialects of a) Jewish immigrants to the United States. b) French Americans. c) New Englanders. d) African Americans. e) Irish Americans.
d) African Americans.
The Icelandic language has changed less than any other Germanic language because of a) continuous exchange with Norway and Sweden. b) Iceland's close contact with speakers of other languages. c) migration by German tribes. d) Iceland's relative isolation from other places. e) the extinction of the East Germanic group.
d) Iceland's relative isolation from other places.
English is part of which language family? a)Austronesian b) Afro-Asiatic c) Uralic d) Indo-European e) Turkic
d) Indo-European
Which is the most used West Slavic language? a) Russian b) Croatian c) Slovak d) Polish e) Czech
d) Polish
Use the map in the figure to answer the question. By referring to the figure, the two most widely spoken languages in South America are a) Creole and Portuguese. b) French and Spanish. c) English and Spanish. d) Portuguese and Spanish. e) Dutch and English.
d) Portuguese and Spanish.
AAVE represents an English dialect heavily influenced by African American a) politics. b) art. c) literature. d) forced migration heritage. e) music.
d) forced migration heritage.
The geographic study of the distribution of languages provides a good example of a) the role and spread of religion across much of the world. b) political conflicts that arise due to ethnic tensions. c) the diffusion of folk culture in different areas of the world. d) the interplay between interaction and isolation. e) the diffusion of trade routes across much of the world.
d) the interplay between interaction and isolation.
Which of the following languages is considered to be isolated? a) Hebrew b) Clallam c) Cusco d) Icelandic e) Basque
e) Basque
The Flemings and Walloons live in a) South Africa. b) Switzerland. c) Liechtenstein. d) France. e) Belgium.
e) Belgium.
Which statement does NOT accurately describe multilingual places? a) Distinct groups may occupy different regions of the country and manage their own affairs. b) In many places, speakers of different languages are tolerant of one another and inter-marry. c) Recognizing the status of languages can encourage diversity and the learning of multiple languages. d) Speakers of minority languages can feel marginalized in society and seek more autonomy. e) Centrifugal forces that pull a society apart are a distinctive characteristic of all multilingual countries.
e) Centrifugal forces that pull a society apart are a distinctive characteristic of all multilingual countries.
When a language has been classified as "endangered," what can be assumed to be TRUE? a) The United Nations has determined it should no longer be used as an official language. b) The people who invented the language no longer exist. c) The language is seldom used due to the isolation of the cultural group that speaks it. d) It is too late for a community to revive the language. e) It is spoken by a small group of people who are no longer teaching it to their children.
e) It is spoken by a small group of people who are no longer teaching it to their children.
Choose the generalization about English dialects in the United States that is correct. a) Western dialects reflect the social and class status of the original settlers. b) Although regional differences in pronunciation exist, it is impossible to identify isoglosses based on words used in different regions. c) German, Dutch, and Swedish immigrants were a significant influence on dialects in the South. d) Over the years, the major dialect differences in the United States have gradually collapsed into fewer categories, and the language has become more uniform. e) Regional differences in vocabulary continue to exist, as evidenced by the various terms that refer to soft drinks in various regions of the country.
e) Regional differences in vocabulary continue to exist, as evidenced by the various terms that refer to soft drinks in various regions of the country.
Colin Renfrew's research is most closely associated with the a) Silk Road Trader Theory. b) Nomadic Herder Hypothesis. c) Nomadic Warrior Theory. d) Kurgan Farmer Hypothesis. e) Sedentary Farmer Theory.
e) Sedentary Farmer Theory.
The majority of people on Earth speak languages from which of the following two language families? a) Niger-Congo and Afro-Asiatic b) Sino-Caucasian and Nostratic c) Balto-Slavic and Indo-Iranian d) Sino-Tibetan and Sino-Caucasian e) Sino-Tibetan and Indo-European
e) Sino-Tibetan and Indo-European
When people who speak a given language migrate to a different location and become isolated from other members of their group a) they immediately develop a literary tradition. b) they lose their linguistic abilities. c) groups form multiple dialects. d) their language usually shows very little change even over a long period of time, despite the appearance of a small number of changes typical of different dialects. e) isolation usually results in the differentiation of one language into dialects, followed eventually by two distinct languages.
e) isolation usually results in the differentiation of one language into dialects, followed eventually by two distinct languages.
Differences among cultural elements that may act as centrifugal forces are a) distance, interaction, and time. b) movement, speech, and symbols. c) shared language, religion, and nationality. d) migration, education, and ethnicity. e) language, religion, and ethnicity.
e) language, religion, and ethnicity.
Chinese is traditionally written in the form of a) phonemes. b) a literary tradition. c) Cantonese. d) a Latin alphabet. e) logograms.
e) logograms.
The current estimate of the number of languages spoken across the planet is approximately a) between 250 and 1,000 languages. b) less than 100. c) between 3,500 and 6,500 languages. d) between 1,500 and 3,000 languages. e) over 7,000.
e) over 7,000.
The Nomadic Warrior Theory and the Sedentary Farmer Theory have been developed to explain the common ancestry of a) Romance Languages. b) Afro-Asiatic languages. c) Sino-Tibetan languages. d) Austronesian languages. e) the non-Romance branches of Indo-European languages.
e) the non-Romance branches of Indo-European languages.
Franglais is a) the lingua franca of France. b) the standard language of French. c) a language used by French colonial administrations. d) a dialect of French. e) the use of English in the French language.
e) the use of English in the French language.
