Language and Communication in Anthropology – MCQs 50 Score: 0 Attempted: 0/50 Subscribe 1. What is the study of language in relation to culture called? (A) Linguistic anthropology (B) Cultural anthropology (C) Physical anthropology (D) Archaeology 2. Who proposed the concept of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis? (A) Noam Chomsky (B) Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf (C) Bronislaw Malinowski (D) Emile Durkheim 3. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that: (A) Language has no impact on thought (B) Language influences the way people perceive and think about the world (C) Language is genetically determined (D) Grammar is universal 4. Which term refers to the smallest unit of meaning in a language? (A) Phoneme (B) Morpheme (C) Syntax (D) Grammar 5. The study of speech sounds in language is called: (A) Syntax (B) Phonology (C) Semantics (D) Morphology 6. What is code-switching? (A) Using multiple languages in a single conversation (B) Speaking with a foreign accent (C) Learning sign language (D) Writing computer code 7. Which of the following is a non-verbal form of communication? (A) Writing letters (B) Gestures and facial expressions (C) Reading newspapers (D) Telephone conversation 8. Paralanguage refers to: (A) Words used in poetry (B) Non-verbal vocal features such as tone, pitch, and speed (C) Sign language grammar (D) Computer coding 9. Which branch of linguistics studies sentence structure? (A) Phonetics (B) Semantics (C) Syntax (D) Pragmatics 10. Semantics is concerned with: (A) Sound production (B) Meaning of words and sentences (C) Sentence structure (D) Grammatical endings 11. What does ‘diglossia’ refer to? (A) A society where two dialects or languages are used for different purposes (B) Complete absence of language (C) Use of secret language (D) Using hand gestures for communication 12. Noam Chomsky is known for his theory of: (A) Cultural relativism (B) Universal grammar (C) Language relativity (D) Evolution of species 13. What is the term for the study of how language is used in social contexts? (A) Syntax (B) Pragmatics (C) Semantics (D) Morphology 14. Which term describes a language that develops as a mix of two or more languages? (A) Dialect (B) Creole (C) Accent (D) Tone language 15. Pidgin languages usually develop due to: (A) Political revolutions (B) Trade and communication between groups with different native languages (C) Academic research (D) Religious ceremonies 16. What is a phoneme? (A) Smallest unit of meaning (B) Smallest distinctive unit of sound (C) Largest part of speech (D) Style of handwriting 17. Kinesics is the study of: (A) Vocal sounds (B) Body language and gestures (C) Written symbols (D) Animal communication 18. Proxemics refers to: (A) Meaning in sentences (B) Use of physical space in communication (C) Grammar rules (D) Dialects in language 19. The study of writing systems is known as: (A) Orthography (B) Syntax (C) Phonology (D) Pragmatics 20. Which anthropologist emphasized the importance of language in understanding culture? (A) Franz Boas (B) Max Weber (C) James Frazer (D) Bronislaw Malinowski 21. Which term refers to variations in a language depending on social class, region, or group? (A) Syntax (B) Dialect (C) Phoneme (D) Kinesics 22. Sociolinguistics studies: (A) Evolution of language (B) Relationship between language and society (C) Speech sounds only (D) Sign languages 23. What is the smallest grammatical unit that carries meaning? (A) Syntax (B) Morpheme (C) Phoneme (D) Clause 24. Which of the following is an example of paralanguage? (A) Pitch of the voice (B) Text messaging (C) Typeface in writing (D) Sign language 25. Which of the following describes language ideology? (A) Beliefs and attitudes about language use (B) Formal grammar rules (C) Dictionary writing (D) Use of hand signs only 26. The study of meaning in linguistic expressions is called: (A) Semantics (B) Syntax (C) Morphology (D) Pragmatics 27. Speech communities are defined by: (A) Shared grammar books (B) Common linguistic practices among a group of people (C) Only shared phonetic sounds (D) People speaking completely unrelated languages 28. The use of two or more languages within a conversation is called: (A) Code-switching (B) Syntax mixing (C) Linguistic diffusion (D) Semantic drift 29. Which term refers to a simplified language that develops for communication between speakers of different languages? (A) Pidgin (B) Dialect (C) Slang (D) Semantics 30. Language that has developed from a pidgin and has native speakers is called: (A) Creole (B) Dialect (C) Phonetic speech (D) Universal grammar 31. The study of rules for combining words into sentences is called: (A) Syntax (B) Pragmatics (C) Phonology (D) Kinesics 32. Linguistic relativity is also known as: (A) Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (B) Chomsky’s Theory (C) Pragmatic theory (D) Genetic linguistics 33. The use of polite forms in speech is studied under: (A) Pragmatics (B) Phonetics (C) Morphology (D) Syntax 34. A language spoken by a specific cultural group is referred to as their: (A) Kinesics (B) Mother tongue (C) Morpheme (D) Paralanguage 35. Pitch, tone, and stress are components of: (A) Pragmatics (B) Paralanguage (C) Semantics (D) Phonology 36. The smallest contrastive unit of sound in a language is called: (A) Morpheme (B) Syntax (C) Phoneme (D) Dialect 37. Which term describes words borrowed from one language into another? (A) Code-switching (B) Loanwords (C) Creole (D) Diglossia 38. In linguistic anthropology, gesture is studied as part of: (A) Semantics (B) Kinesics (C) Syntax (D) Phonology 39. What is the term for words that sound like the thing they describe? (A) Synonyms (B) Onomatopoeia (C) Loanwords (D) Dialects 40. The study of written symbols used in a language is called: (A) Orthography (B) Pragmatics (C) Semantics (D) Phonetics 41. The use of silence as a communicative act falls under: (A) Pragmatics (B) Phonology (C) Syntax (D) Semantics 42. Which type of communication uses no spoken or written words? (A) Verbal (B) Non-verbal (C) Oral (D) Scriptural 43. The relationship between language and power in society is studied in: (A) Sociolinguistics (B) Archaeology (C) Physical anthropology (D) Syntax 44. The use of certain words or speech styles to indicate social status is called: (A) Dialect (B) Register (C) Code-switching (D) Semantics 45. In anthropology, speech is considered: (A) The biological basis of language (B) The verbal expression of language (C) The grammar of language (D) A written form of language 46. Which term refers to distinct forms of a single language spoken by particular groups? (A) Creoles (B) Dialects (C) Loanwords (D) Syntax 47. The part of linguistic anthropology that studies meaning in context is called: (A) Semantics (B) Pragmatics (C) Syntax (D) Morphology 48. Non-verbal communication includes: (A) Gestures, posture, facial expressions (B) Written paragraphs (C) Reading aloud (D) Printed advertisements 49. Which of the following describes mutual intelligibility? (A) Two languages having entirely different roots (B) Speakers of two dialects understanding each other (C) Speaking in riddles (D) Use of foreign scripts 50. A group’s specific way of using language in particular contexts is called: (A) Register (B) Morphology (C) Syntax (D) Semantics