Foreign Language Unit 3 Test

When did humans develop the ability to speak?

By 2 million years ago, early modern humans had the ability to produce speech.

What physiological prerequisites for language are there?

Bipedalism, changes in the vocal tract, bigger brain

How did bipedalism affect speech?

Walking on two feet was crucial for language development by freeing hands for gesturing, altering breathing mechanics for controlling speech, promoting cognitive changes like spatial awareness, and freeing energy for larger, more complex brains. This progression started 4 million years ago and was fully developed by about 2 million years ago.

How did changes in the vocal tract affect speech?

Smaller teeth, less protruding jaws and a descended larynx allowed for greater articulatory and acoustic range. These changes occurred around 2 million years ago.

How did bigger brains affect speech?

Increase in brain size allowed symbolic behavior, memorization, planning and sequencing, all essential skills in developing language. Early human brains started an acute increase in size around 2 million years ago.

When were humans able to communicate using language?

Language, as a fairly elaborate system of communication, was in use around 50,000 or 40,000 years ago.

What are some prerequisites for language use?

Development of a social structure, tool-making, cultural artefacts, and cave paintings.

What is linguistic monogenesis?

One original primitive language developed by homo sapiens in Eastern Africa spread around the globe following the path of human migration starting around 100,000 years ago. They hypothesize that this primitive form of language evolved within each group of migrants to become the various languages in use today.

What is linguistic polygenesis?

Different forms of language developed independently overtime within various groups of migrants.

Where were Eskimo Aleut, Na-Dene, & Amerindian spoken?

The Americas

Where were Afro-Asiatic, Nilo-Saharan, Niger-Congo, & Khoisan spoken?

Africa

Where was Indo-European spoken?

Europe

Where was Dravidian spoken?

Southern India/Europe

Where was Sino-Tibetan spoken?

China/Asia

What is official language?

A language given legal status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction.

What is national language?

A language that has some connection with a nation.

What is regional language?

A language that has some connection with a region.

What is vehicular language/lingua franca?

A medium of communication between people of different languages. It can be one of the languages spoken by the two groups, or it could be a mix of the two languages called pidgin or creole.

What is killer language?

A language that has eradicated another language.

What is serial killer language?

A language that has eradicated several other languages. Ex: English, Spanish, French.

Do all languages in the world have an official language?

No. There are six countries with no official languages: Australia, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the USA.

What are benefits and drawbacks of having English as the official language in the United States?

Pros:

-National Unity

-Taxpayer Money

-Streamlined Government Operations

Cons:

-Communication Barriers

-Discrimination & Marginalization

-Exclusion of Languages

What languages have shaped/influenced British English and how?

Latin, Norse, French

Which features have disappeared from English?

Cases on articles, nouns, and adjectives

The use of only past and present tense

The three genders: masculin, feminin, and neuter

Where and when did the first writing system emerge?

The first writing system was the Sumerian script in 3200 BC.

What was the contribution of the Phoenicians in the evolution of writing?

The Phoenicians adopted a writing system based on both the Sumerian alphabet and the Egyptian demotic script.

What was the contribution of the Greeks in the evolution of writing?

The Greeks added vowels to the Phoenician script.

What is a pictogram?

Small images used as words. Primary used for accounting purposes.

What is an ideogram?

A symbol or character that represents a direct idea, concept, or object without indicating the spoken sounds or phonetics used to pronounce it.

What is cuneiform?

The world’s earliest known writing system.

What is a logogram?

A single written symbol that represents an entire word or a meaningful unit of language.

What is abjads/consonant alphabets

Letters/symbols representing consonant sounds.

What is an alphabet?

A set of letters that represent consonants and vowels separately.

What is Abugidas/Syllabic Alphabets.

Writing systems in which the main element is the syllable. Syllables are built up of consonants, each of which has an inherent vowel. Diacritic symbols are added to change the inherent vowel into a different vowel.

What is a syllabary?

A phonetic writing system consisting of symbols representing syllables: a consonant plus a vowel.

What are ideographic systems/semanto-phonetic?

The use of symbols to represent things or ideas. They include semantic elements, which represent or hint at their meaning, and a phonetic element, which shows or hints at their pronunciation.