Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
Chapter 5: Language as a Barrier
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. What does the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis address?
A. the history of writing
B. the origin of different races
C. the relationship between language and culture
D. the relationship between environment and culture
2. In the interpretation of linguistic relativism, the difference between languages is not
what can be said, but ______.
A. how fast it is said
B. how it is said
C. what cannot be said
D. what is relatively easy to say
3. Because of the interconnection between the Islamic religion and the Arabic language,
______.
A. Islam did not spread from the region of its origin
B. modern standard Arabic has replaced English and French in the region
C. spoken Arabic does not change
D. the language of the Qur’an is the accepted standard for the written language
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
4. In the Arabic culture, skillful use of language ______.
A. commands prestige
B. is no longer encouraged
C. is rare because of the difficulty of the language
D. is restricted to religious matters only
5. The rhetoric of confrontation and verbal threats in Arabic ______.
A. follows actual violence
B. is a form of verbal aggression that diffuses actual violence
C. is only directed at non-Arabs
D. precedes actual violence
6. Which of the following is true about the Arabic language?
A. It cannot be translated into English.
B. It deemphasizes creative artistry.
C. It expresses an Islamic worldview.
D. It makes use of vocal flatness.
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
7. The often-cited example of the different possible translations into English of the
Japanese word mokusatsu, which led to a major misunderstanding between the
Japanese and the Allies during World War II, is an example of what translation
problem?
A. conceptual equivalence
B. experiential equivalence
C. idiomatic equivalence
D. vocabulary equivalence
8. The two different translations possible for such expressions as “read between the
lines” or “my leg went to sleep” would be examples of what translation problem?
A. conceptual equivalence
B. experiential equivalence
C. idiomatic equivalence
D. vocabulary equivalence
9. The different possible translations of the word freedom would be an example of what
translation problem?
A. conceptual equivalence
B. experiential equivalence
C. idiomatic equivalence
D. vocabulary equivalence
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
10. Errors in translation can be avoided through ______.
A. back translation
B. computer translation
C. the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis
D. using an accurate dictionary
11. When cultures come in contact with no shared language they may develop a new
language composed of a mixture of languages. This is known as ______.
A. Esperanto
B. Indo-European
C. Nostratic
D. pidgin
12. The most well-known creole language is ______.
A. French-based Haitian
B. Hiri Motu
C. Pidgin English
D. Tok Pisin
13. A universal language developed in the 19th century is ______.
A. Altaic
B. Esperanto
C. Indo-European
D. Nostratic
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
14. The number of people living in 1990 who could speak English was ______.
A. 1 in 3
B. 1 in 7
C. 1 in 20
D. 1 in 50
15. The only Germanic language developed outside Europe is ______.
A. Afrikaans
B. Malay
C. Tswana
D. Xhosa
16. French language and culture are particularly prominent in which Canadian
province?
A. Alberta
B. Manitoba
C. Nova Scotia
D. Quebec
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
17. In which case did the Supreme Court rule that schools that do not provide special
help for children with limited English are violating their civil rights?
A. Fragante v. City and County of Honolulu
B. Lau v. Nichols
C. Plessey v. Ferguson
D. Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese v. Milivojevich
18. In 1990, a federal district court ruled Arizona’s English-only law violated what
constitutional guarantee?
A. due process
B. freedom of speech
C. one person one vote
D. states’ rights
19. What official language(s) does Hawaii have?
A. English and Spanish
B. English only
C. Hawaiian only
D. English and Hawaiian
20. ______ and Chinese are spoken by more people than English is.
A. Spanish
B. French
C. Japanese
D. Russian
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
True/False
1. Whorf observed that the Hopi have no words or expressions that refer to time and
concluded that the Hopi had no concept of time.
2. When Israel became independent, it adopted a largely defunct language as an official
language.
3. In some Asian languages, one word can refer to both “food” and “rice.”
4. For religious reasons, spoken Arabic does not change nor vary from country to
country.
Difficulty Level: Medium
5. The rhetoric of confrontation refers to verbal threats and flamboyant language.
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
6. The Allies’ translation of the word mokusatsu in the Japanese response to the
Potsdam Ultimatum is an example of the translation problem called idiomatic
equivalence.
7. Translation of the English word democracy into Russian is an example of the
translation problem called experiential equivalence.
8. One-way handheld voice translators were used by the U.S. military in Afghanistan as
early as 2002.
9. Pidgins can best be described as a second language used for restrictive purposes
such as trade.
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
10. Esperanto has the advantage over other universal language attempts of being easy
to learn by anyone.
11. Freire used the term cultural invasion to refer to one group penetrating the culture of
another group to impose its own view of the world.
12. The English language has a Germanic structure.
13. One advantage of English as a universal language is its large vocabulary.
14. Today’s estimate is that one fifth to one fourth of the world’s population is familiar
with English.
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
15. In 2009, the Texas-border state of Tamaulipas declared itself the first bilingual state
in Mexico.
16. English is the first language for nearly 60% of the population of South Africa.
17. The indigenous language of the Māori has nearly disappeared from New Zealand.
18. Canada is officially a one-language country.
19. During the 19th century, the most common second language in the United States
was German.
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
20. Since 1950, the requirement for U.S. citizenship has been “to read, write, and speak
words in ordinary English.”
Short Answer
1. Whorf observed that the Hopi don’t have tenses, or any constructions or expressions
referring to ______.
2. The Sapir–Whorf hypothesis asserts that reality is embedded in a culture’s ______.
3. Eskimo languages have many words for different kinds of ______, while other
languages, such as English, may require several words to describe the same thing.
4. In the Eskimo language, there is a consistent use of the word ______ in reference to
the future; linguists have associated this grammatical trend with the harsh environment
that Eskimos live in, where there is little control over nature.
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
5. Only about a third of English sentences lack a ______.
6. Today, few accept the extreme position of the Sapir–Whorf linguistic ______.
7. Westerners favor ______ whereas Easterners favor relationships.
8. Even when cultures speak the same language, as do Australia and the United States,
there can be ______ differences.
9. Languages that are different often lack words that are directly ______.
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
10. ______ bilingual speakers are people who learn a second language later in life and
who typically use their second language in a limited number of contexts.
11. ______ bilingual speakers are people who learned a second language early in life
and use the language in many different contexts.
12. Recently, voice translators involving speech recognition, machine translation, and
voice synthesis have been developed for handheld devices for use between English
and ______.
13. Language is central to ______ identity.
14. The most widely spoken first language in the world is ______.
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
15. The second most widely spoken first languages in the world is ______.
16. The third most widely spoken first languages in the world is ______.
17. ______ and ______ are the official languages of the territory of Puerto Rico.
18. The predominant language on the Internet in India is ______.
19. The most commonly used second language in the United States during the 19th
century was ______.
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
20. ______ is the major language used on the Internet.
Essay
1. What is language?
2. How do linguists trace the origins of language?
3. Discuss the relationship between language and culture.
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
4. Using at least three examples, explain the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis.
5. Describe the difference between coordinate bilingual speakers and compound
bilingual speakers.
6. Using at least three examples, explain linguistic relativism.
7. Discuss how the Qur’an is related to Arabic culture and language.
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
8. Compare the Arabic language to English.
9. Discuss and give examples for the translation problems related to vocabulary.
10. Discuss and give examples for the translation problems related to idioms.
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
11. Discuss and give examples for the translation problems related to grammar.
12. Discuss and give examples for the translation problems related to experience.
13. Discuss and give examples for the translation problems related to concepts.
14. Discuss issues related to machines as translators.
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
15. How can back translation improve the effectiveness of intercultural communication?
16. Why is Esperanto unlikely to become a widely used language?
17. Describe the development and spread of English.
18. How do language and nationalism relate?
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
Answer Location: Language as Nationalism
Difficulty Level: Medium
19. What arguments can be made for and against official language laws?
20. Develop arguments for both sides of the Lau v. Nichols case.