Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Discussion Questions
Chapter 5: Language as a Barrier
1. Evaluate Steven Pinker’s criticism of Sapir-Whorf.
2. Mandarin Chinese has more speakers worldwide than English. Why, then, do you think English has
been labeled as a threat to other cultures?
3. Do you think a strong nation can exist when cultures within cultures each have a unique language?
Why or why not?
4. Develop arguments for both sides of the Lau v. Nichols (1974) case.
5. What arguments can be raised for and against official language laws? Be sure to use evidence and
examples.