What is the difference between a language and a dialect?

Languages have political and social recognition; dialects often do not.

What do sociolinguists study?

How language and society interact.

Culture supports social structure, Radcliffe-Brown & Malinowski, 1920s-1940s

Reflexive Anthropology

Encourages multivocality, 21st Century, Examines how cultures are represented, Inward view of anthropology

How does cultural relativism differ from moral relativism?

Cultural relativism describes, moral relativism judges.

What are open-ended questions?

Questions allowing detailed, free-form responses.

How can culture shock help ethnographers?

It gives insight into different worldviews.

Feminist Anthropology

Challenges gender bias in research, 1970s-1990s, Men lacked access to women’s lives

How does language relate to identity?

It reflects cultural and social belonging.

What is the process of the scientific method and its main components?

Observation, hypothesis, data collection, testing, analysis, and conclusion

What is the difference between emic and etic perspectives in ethnography?

Emic-insider’s perspective, etic-is the outsider’s analytical viewpoint

Why is a culture’s lexicon important?

It reflects what is significant in a culture.

What is the difference between assimilation and multiculturalism?

Assimilation absorbs cultures; multiculturalism preserves diversity.

What does conventionality mean in linguistics?

Words are arbitrarily connected to their meanings.

What is a questionnaire in ethnographic research?

A set of written or verbal questions for gathering data.

What is a role of non-verbal language?

It conveys emotions and social cues.

What do we mean when we say that anthropology is comparative and holistic?

studies multiple societies across time and space &all aspects of human life

Why do anthropologists study ideal vs. observed norms?

To compare cultural ideals with real behaviors

How is data used in relation to hypotheses and theories?

Data tests hypotheses and supports or refines theories.

How does historical linguistics help determine population origins?

It traces relationships between languages.

What is the difference between ethnography and ethnology? What does each involve?

Ethnology compares multiple cultures., Ethnography involves fieldwork and immersion., Ethnography studies one culture in-depth.

What do researchers think of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis today?

Language influences thought, but not entirely.

What is the difference between a hypothesis and a theory?

hypothesis is testable; a theory is well-supported by evidence.

How do symbols relate to culture?

Symbols shape and express cultural identity.

What is the other side of the language survival debate?

Languages evolve and some naturally disappear.

How is language symbolic?

Words represent meanings beyond their physical form.

What is a key cultural consultant?

An expert who provides deep cultural insights.

How does language relate to social stratification?

Speech patterns can reflect social status.

Neo-Marxist Anthropology

Focus on power & inequality, Includes gender & colonialism, 1970s-1990s

What is the focus of structural linguistics?

Analyzing grammar and language structure.

A simplified language for communication between groups.

What is ethnocentrism?

Judging another culture by one's own standards.

What is the ethnographic present?

Describing a culture as if it were unchanged over time.

What is symbolic capital?

Linguistic traits that give social advantages.

What is the difference between emic and etic perspectives?

Emic is an insider view; etic is an outsider analysis.

What is Social Evolutionism?

The theory that cultures progress through stages.

What is acculturation?

The exchange of cultural traits between societies.

What did Edward Tylor and Lewis Morgan contribute to anthropology?

They developed early theories of cultural evolution.

What is ethnographic realism?

A style aiming for objective, detailed cultural descriptions.

What are the four subdisciplines of anthropology? What unites them in American anthropology?

Cultural, linguistic , archaeology, and biological

Why are symbols important to human culture?

They allow communication and shared meaning.

What are examples of each subdiscipline?

Linguistic anthropology – how Dutch, German, and English are related, Cultural anthropology – whale and shark hunters, Biological anthropology – human paleontology, forensic anthropology, Archaeology – Viking burial sites

How does global culture affect indigenous populations?

It threatens their traditions and autonomy.

A regional or social variety of a language.

What is polyphony in ethnography?

Including multiple voices and perspectives in research.

How did gender roles change after WWII?

Women entered the workforce in large numbers.

What is a structured interview?

An interview with set questions in a fixed order.

What is ethnosemantics?

The study of cultural categories in language.

Who are the "Nacirema"?

A fictional group representing American culture.

studbud

Anth 210 Tamug Exam 1

107 termsStudBud Administration

Delve into the fascinating world of anthropology and discover its unique contributions to understanding human nature and culture

Flashcards107 cardsFPractice quizPHost liveL

Questions 107

Answers

1
What is the difference between a language and a dialect?
A language is just a more complex dialect.
Dialects are less effective for communication.
Dialects have different grammar than languages.
Languages have political and social recognition; dialects often do not.
2
What do sociolinguists study?
How language and society interact.
the universal grammar of all languages.
Only ancient and extinct languages.
Languages with no spoken form.
3
Functionalism
Culture supports social structure
Radcliffe-Brown & Malinowski
Focuses only on economic foundations
1920s-1940s
4
Reflexive Anthropology
Encourages multivocality
21st Century
Examines how cultures are represented
Inward view of anthropology
5
How does cultural relativism differ from moral relativism?
Cultural relativism describes, moral relativism judges.
They are the exact same concept.
Moral relativism focuses only on politics.
Cultural relativism rejects ethical debates.
6
What are open-ended questions?
Questions with only “yes” or “no” answers.
Questions used only in structured interviews.
Questions allowing detailed, free-form responses.
Questions that have a single correct answer.
7
How can culture shock help ethnographers?
It makes research impossible to continue.
It prevents bias by avoiding participation.
It proves that all cultures are the same.
It gives insight into different worldviews.
8
Feminist Anthropology
Challenges gender bias in research
1970s-1990s
Rejects all male contributions
Men lacked access to women’s lives
9
How does language relate to identity?
It reflects cultural and social belonging.
All languages shape identity the same way.
It has no effect on personal identity
Only written languages influence identity.
10
What is the process of the scientific method and its main components?
theory first, data that supports it while ignoring conflicting evidence.
hypothesis, proving through selective data, presenting findings as truth
Observation, hypothesis, data collection, testing, analysis, and conclusion
patterns in nature, assuming causation, applying conclusions universally
11
How long do anthropologists usually stay in the field?
Months to years.
ust a few days.
A lifetime.
One or two weeks.
12
What is the difference between emic and etic perspectives in ethnography?
Emic come from anthropologists, while etic come from historians
Emic-insider’s perspective, etic-is the outsider’s analytical viewpoint
Emic is based on written records, while etic rely on oral traditions
Emic focus only on genetic trait’s, etic focus only on social behaviors
13
Why is a culture’s lexicon important?
All languages have the same lexicon.
It determines intelligence levels
It reflects what is significant in a culture.
It is unrelated to cultural identity.
14
What is the difference between assimilation and multiculturalism?
They mean the same thing.
Multiculturalism forces cultural change.
Assimilation absorbs cultures; multiculturalism preserves diversity.
Assimilation allows for cultural preservation.
15
What does conventionality mean in linguistics?
Words must match their sounds.
Language is biologically inherited.
Words are arbitrarily connected to their meanings.
All cultures share the same grammar.
16
What is a questionnaire in ethnographic research?
A live debate between anthropologists and locals.
An informal conversation with no set questions.
A set of written or verbal questions for gathering data.
A personal journal kept by the researcher.
17
What is a role of non-verbal language?
It conveys emotions and social cues.
It has no real communicative function.
It replaces spoken language entirely
It is used only in ancient societies.
18
What do we mean when we say that anthropology is comparative and holistic?
It only compares written historical records.
It focuses only on individual societies in isolation.
It only uses biological and genetic factors to understand humans.
studies multiple societies across time and space &all aspects of human life
19
Why do anthropologists study ideal vs. observed norms?
To prove one culture is superior to another.
Because norms never change over time.
To compare cultural ideals with real behaviors
Because observed behaviors always match ideals.
20
How is data used in relation to hypotheses and theories?
Theories can exist without data, based only on logic.
Data is only used to confirm theories, not to challenge them.
Data tests hypotheses and supports or refines theories.
Hypotheses must always be correct for theories to be valid.
21
How does historical linguistics help determine population origins?
It ignores migration patterns.
It only studies written records.
It traces relationships between languages.
It predicts future language evolution.
22
What is the difference between ethnography and ethnology? What does each involve?
Ethnology compares multiple cultures.
Ethnology only focuses on ancient societies.
Ethnography involves fieldwork and immersion.
Ethnography studies one culture in-depth.
23
What do researchers think of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis today?
It has been completely disproven.
It only applies to written languages.
Language influences thought, but not entirely.
All languages create identical perceptions
24
What is the difference between a hypothesis and a theory?
A hypothesis and a theory mean the same thing in science.
hypothesis is testable; a theory is well-supported by evidence.
A hypothesis must be proven true before it becomes a theory.
Theories are just guesses with little or no supporting evidence.
25
How do symbols relate to culture?
Symbols have the same meaning worldwide
Symbols are only used in written language.
Symbols are unimportant in human societies
Symbols shape and express cultural identity.
26
What is the other side of the language survival debate?
Only dead languages are worth saving.
All languages must be preserved forever.
Technology will replace all languages
Languages evolve and some naturally disappear.
27
How is language symbolic?
Words always have the same meaning across cultures.
Symbols are only used in written languages.
Languages must be spoken to exist.
Words represent meanings beyond their physical form.
28
What is a key cultural consultant?
A translator for anthropologists.
An expert who provides deep cultural insights.
A person who documents ancient languages.
A government official in foreign cultures.
29
How does language relate to social stratification?
Only accents, not dialects, show social rank.
Language has no connection to class
Speech patterns can reflect social status.
Everyone speaks the same regardless of class.
30
Neo-Marxist Anthropology
Focus on power & inequality
Includes gender & colonialism
1970s-1990s
Denies class differences
31
What is the focus of structural linguistics?
Only examining historical languages.
Studying language use in society.
Focusing only on spoken languages
Analyzing grammar and language structure.
32
What is a pidgin?
A dialect of a major world language
A formal written language
A language with native speakers.
A simplified language for communication between groups.
33
What is ethnocentrism?
Judging another culture by one's own standards.
The belief that cultures never change.
Rejecting all cultural differences.
Accepting all cultures as equal.
34
What is the ethnographic present?
A gift given to informants in fieldwork.
The final stage of writing an ethnography.
Describing a culture as if it were unchanged over time.
A modern method of studying past cultures.
35
What is symbolic capital?
A system of writing symbols.
A form of currency used in trade.
Linguistic traits that give social advantages.
A theory about historical languages.
36
What is the difference between emic and etic perspectives?
Emic is scientific; etic is subjective.
Emic focuses on economy; etic on language.
Emic is an insider view; etic is an outsider analysis.
Emic is used in all cultures; etic is outdated.
37
What is Social Evolutionism?
A theory that all societies remain unchanged
The theory that cultures progress through stages.
The belief that culture is biologically inherited.
the idea that culture is random and unpredictable.
38
What is acculturation?
Forcing one culture to disappear.
The process of completely erasing a culture.
The exchange of cultural traits between societies.
A culture rejecting all outside influences.
39
Where do anthropologists conduct research?
All over the world.
Only in large cities.
Only in remote villages.
in ancient civilizations.
40
What did Edward Tylor and Lewis Morgan contribute to anthropology?
They developed early theories of cultural evolution.
They discovered lost civilizations in South America.
They rejected the idea that cultures change over time.
They focused only on biological anthropology.
41
What is ethnographic realism?
An approach that only uses interviews.
A focus on fictionalized cultural narratives.
A style aiming for objective, detailed cultural descriptions.
A method that excludes historical context.
42
What are the four subdisciplines of anthropology? What unites them in American anthropology?
Economics, geography, political science, and linguistics
Geology, astronomy, physics, and chemistry
Cultural, linguistic , archaeology, and biological
Sociology, psychology, history, and political science.
43
Why are symbols important to human culture?
They allow communication and shared meaning.
They are only used in religious contexts.
They have fixed meanings across all cultures.
They are unchanging throughout history.
44
What are examples of each subdiscipline?
Linguistic anthropology – how Dutch, German, and English are related
Cultural anthropology – whale and shark hunters
Biological anthropology – human paleontology, forensic anthropology
Archaeology – Viking burial sites
45
How does global culture affect indigenous populations?
It strengthens their traditional practices.
It helps preserve all indigenous customs.
It threatens their traditions and autonomy.
It has no impact on indigenous cultures.
46
What is a dialect?
A type of slang used by youth.
A regional or social variety of a language.
A completely separate language
A effective form of communication.
47
What is polyphony in ethnography?
An approach that avoids informant narratives.
The study of ancient languages.
Including multiple voices and perspectives in research.
A focus on one dominant cultural view.
48
How did gender roles change after WWII?
Women entered the workforce in large numbers.
Men and women had the same roles.
Gender roles remained unchanged.
Women stopped working permanently.
49
What is a structured interview?
An interview that allows for open-ended answers.
An interview with set questions in a fixed order.
A group discussion without a main topic.
A casual conversation with no planned questions.
50
What is ethnosemantics?
The historical evolution of words.
The study of cultural categories in language.
A theory rejecting cultural influence.
How children learn new languages.
51
Who are the "Nacirema"?
A lost civilization from history.
A culture with no known traditions.
A fictional group representing American culture.
An isolated Amazonian tribe.
52
What are cultural norms and values?
Values never change, but norms do.
Norms are laws; values are unimportant.
Norms and values are the same thing.
Norms are expected behaviors; values are beliefs.
53
What is style shifting?
Switching speech styles based on context
A technique for writing poetry.
A form of coded speech only for elites
Mixing two languages in the same sentence
54
Postmodernism
Rejects all ethnographic research
Focuses on power & voice
1980s-1990s
Ethnographies are partial truths
55
What is a primary ethical concern in anthropology?
Ensuring personal profit from research.
Protecting the safety and privacy of informants.
Keeping research findings secret.
Only studying cultures that share your values.
56
What is cultural maladaptation?
A trait that exists in all cultures.
A culture that never changes.
A cultural trait that helps survival.
A cultural trait that harms a society.
57
What is syncretism?
A culture that never changes.
Blending elements of different cultures.
Only adopting one cultural trait at a time
Completely rejecting outside influences.
58
What is stimulus diffusion?
When an idea spreads but is changed by a culture.
When all cultures adopt the same traditions.
When an entire culture moves to a new area.
When a language disappears completely.
59
What is symbolic domination?
When a dialect replaces all languages.
When elite speech is valued over other dialects
A universal rule in all societies.
A form of government control
60
Which of the following correctly matches each subdiscipline with its primary focus of study? (Select all that apply)
Cultural anthropology-social practices, beliefs, and behaviors
Archaeology–material remains, past human activities & cultural development
Linguistic anthropology-language structure, evolution,&cultural influence
Biological anthropolog- human evolution, genetics,and adaptations
61
What is unique about the broad field of anthropology?
It is holistic and comparative, studying humans in all times and places
It is primarily concerned with genetics and biology.
It only focuses on ancient human civilizations.
It only studies modern societies.
62
Why is anthropology useful in addressing ‘nature versus nurture’ questions?
It examines how biological traits interact with cultural influences.
It assumes all behaviors are purely learned and not influenced by biology.
It only looks at genetic explanations for human behavior.
It ignores environmental influences on behavior.
63
Which of these is an attribute of culture?
Transmitted through symbols
Learned
All-encompasing
Patterned and integrated
64
Historical Particularism
Criticized for being antitheoretical
Franz Boas
Early 20th century
Emphasized universal cultural laws
65
What is the focus of sociolinguistics?
The creation of artificial languages.
Only studying extinct languages.
How grammar rules are universally applied.
How language varies by social context.
66
What are mother and daughter languages?
They are unrelated in linguistic studies.
Only spoken languages have them.
Daughter languages create new mother languages
Mother languages give rise to daughter languages.
67
What is ethnography?
the study of genetic evolution in human populations.
the statistical analysis of economic systems.
the study of ancient texts and their linguistic structure.
firsthand study of a culture through direct observation and participation
68
Which of these is an attribute of culture?
dynamic
Exclusive to one group
Fixed and unchanging
Genetically inherited
69
What is applied anthropology?
It rejects technology and modernization.
It focuses only on preserving old traditions.
Using anthropology to solve real-world issues.
It prevents any cultural change from occurring.
70
Why is cultural appropriation problematic?
It takes cultural elements without respect.
It has no real impact on society.
It only applies to religious practices.
It is the same as cultural appreciation.
71
Who was Franz Boas?
The father of American anthropology.
A philosopher who studied ethics.
An archaeologist focused on pyramids.
A critic of evolutionary anthropology
72
What is enculturation?
The process of cultural extinction.
Forcing another culture on a society.
Rejecting all cultural influences.
The process of learning one's own culture.
73
What is one side of the language survival debate?
Only dominant languages matter.
Languages should be preserved to keep cultures alive.
All languages will eventually merge.
Language loss has no cultural impact.
74
What are cultural universals?
Traits found in all human societies.
Customs that never change.
Behaviors dictated by biology.
Practices unique to one culture.
75
What is diglossia?
A rare disorder affecting speech.
A method of decoding ancient texts.
Forgetting a language over time.
Using two distinct language forms in society
76
What are taboos?
Ancient laws with no modern influence
Behaviors strongly discouraged in a culture
Religious rituals performed in secret
Universal customs shared by all people
77
What is historical linguistics?
A focus only on modern dialects.
The study of language change over time.
The study of ancient scripts only.
A method of translating extinct languages.
78
What is a subculture?
A group that rejects all societal values.
A cultural group within a larger society.
A group that follows no cultural norms
A completely separate culture with no ties.
79
Structuralism
Rejects symbolic meanings
Deep structures shape culture
1960s-1970s
Claude Lévi-Strauss
80
What is reflexive ethnography?
A type of storytelling in anthropology.
A method that removes all subjectivity.
A form of ethnography that excludes interviews.
An approach that examines the anthropologist’s influence.
81
What is a key part of the AAA Code of Ethics?
Do no harm to people or communities studied
Anthropologists must work for governments.
Always publish findings, no matter the risk.
Fieldwork must be done without consent.
82
Who was Edward Tylor?
A linguist who studied only English dialects.
A philosopher who rejected cultural studies.
An anthropologist who defined culture broadly.
An explorer who discovered lost civilizations.
83
What is participant observation?
Watching a culture from afar.
Relying solely on surveys.
Only reading about a culture.
Living with and observing a culture firsthand.
84
What does Geertz mean by "worldview"?
A religious belief system only.
A culture’s way of understanding reality.
A universal perspective shared by all.
A scientific way of thinking.
85
What is ethnographic fieldwork?
Observing cultures from a distance.
Conducting research in a lab.
Only studying historical records.
Direct study of people in their environment.
86
What is the lesson of the Nacirema story?
Rituals are unique to primitive societies.
All cultures share identical practices.
Americans have no cultural traditions.
Anthropologists should avoid ethnocentrism.
87
What is a creole?
A stable language that develops from a pidgin.
A primitive form of communication
88
What is ethnology?
The analysis of economic systems in ancient societies.
The comparative study of cultures to identify patterns and differences.
A branch of philosophy that focuses on human thought.
The study of human bones and fossils.
89
What are key ethnographic methods?
Reading books, watching documentaries.
Participant observation, interviews, surveys.
DNA testing, carbon dating, fossil analysis.
Only collecting statistical data.
90
What is culture shock?
A physical reaction to foreign food.
The rejection of all cultural differences.
Disorientation when encountering a new culture.
A sudden loss of interest in anthropology.
91
What is an informant in anthropology?
An outsider studying a culture.
A person who provides cultural knowledge.
A spy working for the government.
A researcher conducting interviews.
92
What is androcentric bias?
A focus on women's roles in anthropology.
The tendency to view culture from a male-centered perspective.
A bias favoring younger generations.
A method that excludes gender analysis.
93
What can indigenous peoples do in the face of globalization?
Completely reject all outside influences.
Stop practicing any cultural traditions.
Preserve traditions while adapting to change.
Assimilate into global mainstream culture.
94
What did Leslie White say about symbols?
Culture depends on symbols for meaning.
Symbols are the same in all societies.
Symbols only exist in spoken language.
Symbols are unnecessary in human life.
95
What does semantics refer to?
The history of language.
The sounds of words.
The study of sentence structure.
The study of meaning in language.
96
What does displacement refer to in language?
The loss of a language over time.
The ability to talk about things not present.
Changing pronunciation of words.
Moving words to different sentence positions
97
What is AAEV (or Ebonics)?
A completely different language from English.
An outdated dialect no longer spoken.
A form of unstructured slang.
A rule-governed variety of English. spoken by African American communities
98
How does cultural relativism address ethnocentrism?
By claiming all cultures are the same.
By rejecting all traditions.
By imposing one culture’s values on another.
By evaluating cultures within their own context.
99
What is an ethical concern regarding HTS?
Writing ethnographies with personal bias.
Using only historical records for research.
Using anthropology in military operations.
Studying cultures without interviewing people.
100
Who was Lewis Morgan?
A scientist who studied only biological evolution.
An anthropologist who studied kinship and social evolution.
A historian focused on European civilizations.
A sociologist who rejected anthropology.
101
What did Franz Boas contribute to anthropology?
Rejected racial determinism in human cultures
Introduced the concept of cultural relativism
Created the theory of Social Evolutionism
Argued all cultures follow the same path
102
What does Geertz mean by "ethos"?
A logical framework for science.
A culture’s moral and emotional tone.
A strict set of religious rules.
A personal philosophy of life.
103
What is culturally symbolic freight?
A lost method of language analysis.
The emotional or cultural meaning of words.
A form of non-verbal communication.
A universal trait in all languages.
104
What is the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis?
Grammar has no effect on worldview
Languages evolve the same way over time.
Language is purely genetic, not cultural.
Language shapes thought and perception.
105
Cultural Materialism
Rejects material influences
Marvin Harris
Ignores economy in culture
Criticized for being heavily etic
106
What does it mean to say culture is adaptive?
Culture never changes over time.
Culture is genetically inherited.
Culture helps people survive in different environments.
Culture is always beneficial.
107
How does acculturation differ from enculturation?
Acculturation is the same as enculturation.
Acculturation only happens in childhood.
Acculturation is rejecting all cultural influences.
Acculturation is adopting traits from another culture.

Anth 210 Tamug Exam 1 Flashcards | StudBud