SOCIOLINGUISTICS 2S 2025

Which factor most strongly influences language variation?. Random vocabulary changes. Errors made by speakers. Universal biological differences in hearing. Social variables such as age, gender, and class.

What is an example of linguistic relativity?. Borrowing words from another language. A language with many snow terms perceives snow distinctions. Forgetting vocabulary in L1. All languages have identical verb tenses.

What does the study of language and cognition explore?. How languages evolve historically. How language influences thought and perception. Correct. How languages are genetically related. How people memorize vocabulary.

Why is studying language contact important for sociolinguistics?. Because it stops borrowing. Because it eliminates dialects. Because it reveals how social, political, and cultural forces shape language change. Because it proves one language is superior.

Which of the following best reflects the scope of sociolinguistics?. It focuses exclusively on written texts. It analyzes only the biological production of sounds. It explores how language interacts with society and culture. It studies only the grammar of a language.

Which factor most contributes to language maintenance in contact situations?. The absence of education. The rejection of writing systems. Strong community identity and institutional support. The existence of slang terms.

What does a multilingual community refer to?. A group that avoids language contact. A group where only one language is spoken. A group that uses more than one language in daily interaction. A community with only one official language.

Why are speech acts important in intercultural communication?. They eliminate differences. They guarantee identical meanings. They determine spelling. They show politeness and indirectness vary culturally.

When a minority language coexists with a dominant language, what is a common risk?. The minority language may shift or disappear. Grammar rules vanish. The dominant language loses prestige. Both languages automatically merge.

Which factor often leads to language displacement?. Vocabulary growth. Natural evolution of sounds. Pressure from dominant languages in education/government. Equal prestige of all languages.

What is a pidgin language?. A full native language spoken by a community. A temporary slang variety. A secret code created by speakers. A simplified contact language used for specific communication.

What is diglossia in a community?. When a language gradually disappears. When two varieties of the same language serve distinct social roles. When speakers switch languages in a sentence. When two languages merge into a creole.

Which of the following best describes multilingual variation?. Differences in how speakers use multiple languages depending on context. The biological origin of speech. The genetic classification of languages. The study of universal grammar.

Which of the following illustrates diglossia?. Mixing English and Spanish in the same sentence. A child forgetting their native language. Using slang words in professional emails. Speaking standard Arabic in school and local Arabic at home.

What is code-switching?. Creating new words. Using slang words in formal settings. Forgetting native vocabulary. Alternating between two languages in a single conversation.

What is language shift?. When a grammar rule changes slightly. When two dialects become mutually intelligible. When a speaker forgets vocabulary. When speakers gradually adopt a new language over generations.

What is an example of convergence?. A student adopting formal language with a teacher. Borrowing a new word from another language. Forgetting a word in their native tongue. A speaker using their dialect more strongly to stand out.

What is the significance of studying dialects in sociolinguistics?. To eliminate informal varieties. To prove that one dialect is the 'correct' form. To simplify language learning. To understand linguistic diversity and social stratification.

What does the term 'speech community' refer to?. A group of people who share the exact same accent. A neighborhood where people live close together. A community that speaks only one language. A group united by shared norms and rules for language use.

Which of the following best reflects the scope of sociolinguistics?. It focuses exclusively on written texts. It studies only the grammar of a language. It explores how language interacts with society and culture. It analyzes only the biological production of sounds.