25 Questions
What is a distinctive feature of human language that allows for communication while performing other actions?
Use of vocal-auditory channel
What is a key difference between human language and some animal languages?
Arbitrariness
What is a characteristic of human language that enables users to monitor and correct their speech?
Total feedback
What is an example of a language that exhibits arbitrariness?
Human language
What is a characteristic of human language that allows for the transmission of knowledge and culture across generations?
Cultural transmission
What is a feature of human language that allows for the creation of novel expressions and meanings?
Creativity
What is unique to humans among the language features mentioned in the text?
Metalinguistic function
What is an example of displacement language in animals mentioned in the text?
Bees communicating about nectar quality
What is a characteristic of human language that allows for infinite sentence length?
Syntactic processes
What is a characteristic of animal communication mentioned in the text?
Communication about the here and now
What type of dance does a bee perform to communicate the location and quality of nectar within 1 m of the hive?
Round dance
What is a characteristic of human language that allows for Creativity?
Ability to produce and understand novel utterances
What is the primary way fluent speakers combine words according to language rules?
Through unconscious knowledge of specific language structures
What is the term for a group of words that can be substituted for a single word in a sentence?
Structural equivalent
What is the process called when a speaker moves a phrase or word to a different position in a sentence?
Manipulation
What is the fundamental aspect of human language that allows for the creation of complex sentences?
Internal structure
What is unique about the communication systems of animals compared to human language?
They do not exhibit internal structure
What is the role of rules in forming linguistic units such as words, phrases, and sentences?
They operate on abstract structures
What is the term for the abstract, underlying patterns that govern language formation?
Abstract structures
What is the common attribute of the words 'sel', 'salt', and 'sout' in their respective languages?
They all refer to a specific object or substance.
What is unclear about an animal's sign or signal?
The specificity of the object or action it refers to.
What is the term for the ability of language units to be recombined in different orders?
Duality of patterning.
What is a characteristic of human language acquisition?
Humans are born with the ability to acquire any language.
What is a feature of animal communication systems that differs from human language?
They are all genetically determined.
Which birds are known to require social teaching to learn their song?
European starlings only.
This quiz covers the typical features of human language, including the use of vocal-auditory channels, total feedback, arbitrariness, and more. Test your knowledge of the characteristics that define human language.
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