LING 115 FINAL QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
4 Functions of a National Language - Correct Answers -1. Unifying function: should
unify a nation, offer advantages to all its speakers as a collective population
2. Separatist Function: should ideally distinguish a nation and its speakers from other,
adjacent populations- it should serve as a symbol of one particular people's national
identity
3. Prestige: a new national language should be recognized and accepted as a "real
language with higher status than other local dialects and unwritten languages
4. Function as a standard: a national language should be able to function as a targeted
"model of speech" which can be promoted in a single basic form through a population
The Tanzanian President translating two of Shakespeare's plays into Swahili
accomplished this function: - Correct Answers -presitge
Because Germans in Tanzania selected the Zanzibar variety of Swahili to create a
dictionary for, this function was accomplished: - Correct Answers -standard
Because the Zanzibar variety of Swahili was the language of the freedom fighters in
Tanzania, this function was accomplished: - Correct Answers -separatist
Because most of Tanzania's native languages are Bantu languages, and Swahili is also
a Bantu language, this function was accomplished - Correct Answers -unifying
What are the five steps in establishing and spreading a new national language? -
Correct Answers -1. Selection
2. Codification
-description of grammatical rules
-dictionary of language
-graphization
3. Elaboration of function/lexical expansion
4. Implementation
5. Acceptance
,Describe the three main components of codification - Correct Answers --description of
grammatical rules
-dictionary of language
-graphization
Language planning - Correct Answers -refers to the activities which aim at changing the
linguistic behavior of a speech community
Corpus planning - Correct Answers -refers to those activities which attempt to change
the internal structure of the language (ex: the practices of codification and lexical
expansion)
Status planning - Correct Answers -refers to efforts to change the use and function of a
language or variety of language in a particular society; the selection of a variety as a
national or official language would be a typical instance of this
T/F: The selection of Pilipino, a rebranded version of Tagalog, was successful because
it was both the most-widely spoken language and the language of those in power in the
capital city, Manila. - Correct Answers -False
*while the facts are true, it was NOT successful; many non-Tagalog-speaking Filipinos
felt resentment at the advantage given to native speaker of Tagalog
T/F: Borrowing words from other languages is an example of lexical protectionism -
Correct Answers -False
*more commonly found in countries which are accepting of influence from other cultures
and countries. Lexical protectionism involves giving old, native words new meanings
T/F: The creation of new words from parts of existing words is commonly used to
expand the vocabulary of national language trying to maintain a distinct national identity
- Correct Answers -True
T/F: Official monolingualism is the attempt to institute a single national or official
language for a state, with no official recognition of other languages - Correct Answers -
True
T/F: Linguistic assimilation is the belief that everyone should be able to speak and
function in the dominant language of the community/nation and should also largely
abandon the use of any other language so as to achieve proficiency in the majority,
dominant language - Correct Answers -True
T/F: Official monolingualism crucially involves linguistic assimilation - Correct Answers -
False
, *Indonesia is one counterexample to this-- there is a single national/official language
(Bahasa Indonesian) but other regional languages are well tolerated and widely used
resulting in widespread individual bilingualism
What is lexical purification? Give an example - Correct Answers -"purging" or
eliminating foreign words from a NL, making it more pure.
ex: Japanese in 1930s-- "translation" of foreign origin words such as "baseball" and
"hiking" to yakyuu and ensoku
What is linguistic protectionism? Give an example - Correct Answers -new words in a
language are either heavily encouraged or required to be created from old, native words
ex: French academy creating new words to prevent the use of English borrowings
What is the difference between lexical purification and linguistic protectionism? - Correct
Answers -protectionism is a weaker form of purification, it is preventative
both occur during times of nationalism
What is linguistic pluralism? Give three examples of a pluralistic approach to official
language planning - Correct Answers -acknowledges that many societies are comprised
of many different ethno-linguistic groups and attempts to accommodate the languages
of different groups in national/official language planning
examples:
1. Singapore: four languages are official languages
2. Switzerland: German, French, Italian and Romansh are recognized as national
languages
3. South Africa: English, Afrikaans and 9 other Bantu languages are OLs
4. India: 22 languages have now been given special official recognition in the
constitution
Describe general patterns of immigration to North America (mainly between 15-20th
centuries, which countries were immigrants from; where did they settle? - Correct
Answers -1500-1800: English, Spanish, German, French
-Spanish in FL and SW/CA
-French from Detroit to NOLA
-German in Penn
-British/Portugal everywhere
ANSWERS
4 Functions of a National Language - Correct Answers -1. Unifying function: should
unify a nation, offer advantages to all its speakers as a collective population
2. Separatist Function: should ideally distinguish a nation and its speakers from other,
adjacent populations- it should serve as a symbol of one particular people's national
identity
3. Prestige: a new national language should be recognized and accepted as a "real
language with higher status than other local dialects and unwritten languages
4. Function as a standard: a national language should be able to function as a targeted
"model of speech" which can be promoted in a single basic form through a population
The Tanzanian President translating two of Shakespeare's plays into Swahili
accomplished this function: - Correct Answers -presitge
Because Germans in Tanzania selected the Zanzibar variety of Swahili to create a
dictionary for, this function was accomplished: - Correct Answers -standard
Because the Zanzibar variety of Swahili was the language of the freedom fighters in
Tanzania, this function was accomplished: - Correct Answers -separatist
Because most of Tanzania's native languages are Bantu languages, and Swahili is also
a Bantu language, this function was accomplished - Correct Answers -unifying
What are the five steps in establishing and spreading a new national language? -
Correct Answers -1. Selection
2. Codification
-description of grammatical rules
-dictionary of language
-graphization
3. Elaboration of function/lexical expansion
4. Implementation
5. Acceptance
,Describe the three main components of codification - Correct Answers --description of
grammatical rules
-dictionary of language
-graphization
Language planning - Correct Answers -refers to the activities which aim at changing the
linguistic behavior of a speech community
Corpus planning - Correct Answers -refers to those activities which attempt to change
the internal structure of the language (ex: the practices of codification and lexical
expansion)
Status planning - Correct Answers -refers to efforts to change the use and function of a
language or variety of language in a particular society; the selection of a variety as a
national or official language would be a typical instance of this
T/F: The selection of Pilipino, a rebranded version of Tagalog, was successful because
it was both the most-widely spoken language and the language of those in power in the
capital city, Manila. - Correct Answers -False
*while the facts are true, it was NOT successful; many non-Tagalog-speaking Filipinos
felt resentment at the advantage given to native speaker of Tagalog
T/F: Borrowing words from other languages is an example of lexical protectionism -
Correct Answers -False
*more commonly found in countries which are accepting of influence from other cultures
and countries. Lexical protectionism involves giving old, native words new meanings
T/F: The creation of new words from parts of existing words is commonly used to
expand the vocabulary of national language trying to maintain a distinct national identity
- Correct Answers -True
T/F: Official monolingualism is the attempt to institute a single national or official
language for a state, with no official recognition of other languages - Correct Answers -
True
T/F: Linguistic assimilation is the belief that everyone should be able to speak and
function in the dominant language of the community/nation and should also largely
abandon the use of any other language so as to achieve proficiency in the majority,
dominant language - Correct Answers -True
T/F: Official monolingualism crucially involves linguistic assimilation - Correct Answers -
False
, *Indonesia is one counterexample to this-- there is a single national/official language
(Bahasa Indonesian) but other regional languages are well tolerated and widely used
resulting in widespread individual bilingualism
What is lexical purification? Give an example - Correct Answers -"purging" or
eliminating foreign words from a NL, making it more pure.
ex: Japanese in 1930s-- "translation" of foreign origin words such as "baseball" and
"hiking" to yakyuu and ensoku
What is linguistic protectionism? Give an example - Correct Answers -new words in a
language are either heavily encouraged or required to be created from old, native words
ex: French academy creating new words to prevent the use of English borrowings
What is the difference between lexical purification and linguistic protectionism? - Correct
Answers -protectionism is a weaker form of purification, it is preventative
both occur during times of nationalism
What is linguistic pluralism? Give three examples of a pluralistic approach to official
language planning - Correct Answers -acknowledges that many societies are comprised
of many different ethno-linguistic groups and attempts to accommodate the languages
of different groups in national/official language planning
examples:
1. Singapore: four languages are official languages
2. Switzerland: German, French, Italian and Romansh are recognized as national
languages
3. South Africa: English, Afrikaans and 9 other Bantu languages are OLs
4. India: 22 languages have now been given special official recognition in the
constitution
Describe general patterns of immigration to North America (mainly between 15-20th
centuries, which countries were immigrants from; where did they settle? - Correct
Answers -1500-1800: English, Spanish, German, French
-Spanish in FL and SW/CA
-French from Detroit to NOLA
-German in Penn
-British/Portugal everywhere
