LING 1010 EXAM 3 QUESTIONS WITH DETAILED
VERIFIED CORRECT ANSWERS
common misconceptions about language
some of the world's languages are grammatically more complex than others
parents / caregivers teach young children their language
some languages take longer than others for children to learn
linguistic abilities steadily increase as a child grows older
formal, careful speech is grammatically more sophisticated than casual, everyday speech
cultures with greater technological sophistication tend to have grammatically richer languages
2 views about language
1. "language organ" - we are all human so we all have language
2. language is just another useful tool that people invented (like a hammer or phone)
experiment of nature
when nature accidentally (and dramatically) controls for a feature of culture (i.e. technology),
allowing us to witness any differences in linguistic sophistication
Highlanders of Papua New Guinea
living in mountains, isolated until 1930s
culture included polished stone tools, weaving and crop cultivation
,yet, they spoke HUNDREDS of different languages (i.e. Yimas) that were just as sophisticated as
any other language we know
conclusions from experiment of nature
no correlation between the material culture of a group of people and the sophistication of the
languages they speak
language is NOT an invention of culture
we will argue that language is a part of human biology
language
knowledge you have that allows you to construct meaningful expressions
speech
one mode of sharing language with others that involves broadcasting sound shaped by your
vocal tract
sign
mode of producing language in deaf communities
writing
mode of sharing language by making visual marks that can be seen and interpreted by another
speaker who knows the writing system
IS a cultural invention
true/false? writing is a cultural invention
true
true/false? language is a cultural invention
, false
true/false? while a human child will just pick up a language by being raised in a community of
competent speakers, most children require explicit instruction in reading and writing.
true
prescriptive rule
tells a person what they should or ought to do
telling people how they should use language
examples of prescriptive rules
don't end sentences in a preposition
double negation is inappropriate and illogical
descriptive rule
observing how humans actually use language; observed regularity or systematic feature of the
world
descriptive rule examples
"in English, the object follows the verb"
prescriptive grammar
a set of rules designed to give instructions regarding the socially embedded notion of the
"correct" or "proper" way to speak or write
prescriptive grammar features
enforces standards for educated, written language (i.e. "don't write or say ain't')
chooses sides on issues on which people may differ (i.e. "data is/are reliable")
VERIFIED CORRECT ANSWERS
common misconceptions about language
some of the world's languages are grammatically more complex than others
parents / caregivers teach young children their language
some languages take longer than others for children to learn
linguistic abilities steadily increase as a child grows older
formal, careful speech is grammatically more sophisticated than casual, everyday speech
cultures with greater technological sophistication tend to have grammatically richer languages
2 views about language
1. "language organ" - we are all human so we all have language
2. language is just another useful tool that people invented (like a hammer or phone)
experiment of nature
when nature accidentally (and dramatically) controls for a feature of culture (i.e. technology),
allowing us to witness any differences in linguistic sophistication
Highlanders of Papua New Guinea
living in mountains, isolated until 1930s
culture included polished stone tools, weaving and crop cultivation
,yet, they spoke HUNDREDS of different languages (i.e. Yimas) that were just as sophisticated as
any other language we know
conclusions from experiment of nature
no correlation between the material culture of a group of people and the sophistication of the
languages they speak
language is NOT an invention of culture
we will argue that language is a part of human biology
language
knowledge you have that allows you to construct meaningful expressions
speech
one mode of sharing language with others that involves broadcasting sound shaped by your
vocal tract
sign
mode of producing language in deaf communities
writing
mode of sharing language by making visual marks that can be seen and interpreted by another
speaker who knows the writing system
IS a cultural invention
true/false? writing is a cultural invention
true
true/false? language is a cultural invention
, false
true/false? while a human child will just pick up a language by being raised in a community of
competent speakers, most children require explicit instruction in reading and writing.
true
prescriptive rule
tells a person what they should or ought to do
telling people how they should use language
examples of prescriptive rules
don't end sentences in a preposition
double negation is inappropriate and illogical
descriptive rule
observing how humans actually use language; observed regularity or systematic feature of the
world
descriptive rule examples
"in English, the object follows the verb"
prescriptive grammar
a set of rules designed to give instructions regarding the socially embedded notion of the
"correct" or "proper" way to speak or write
prescriptive grammar features
enforces standards for educated, written language (i.e. "don't write or say ain't')
chooses sides on issues on which people may differ (i.e. "data is/are reliable")
