AP HUG: Unit 3 part 2

What is the predicted fate of about half of the world's languages by the end of the century?

• They will become more widely spoken

• They will remain unchanged

• They will be completely gone

• They will evolve into new languages

What often happens to a language when its speakers integrate into larger societies?

• It becomes more complex

• It becomes a secondary language

• It becomes extinct

• It becomes the official language

What is lost along with the extinction of languages?

• Economic stability

• Historical records

• Identity of the group

• Technological advancements

What role does language play in a cultural group according to the text?

• It determines the economic status of the group.

• It creates a sense of place and shapes the cultural landscape.

• It is used only for communication within the group.

• It has no significant impact on culture.

How are current communication technologies affecting cultures?

• They are having minimal impact on cultural changes.

• They are preserving age-old practices without change.

• They are reshaping cultures and altering traditional practices.

• They are eliminating the need for languages.

What has been a significant factor in the spread of the earliest languages?

• Technological advancements

• Natural disasters

• Global forces such as conquest, colonialism, imperialism, and trade

• Scientific discoveries

What is a linguist?

• A person who speaks multiple languages

• A scientist who studies language

• A historian who studies ancient scripts

• A teacher of foreign languages

How many families of languages do linguists believe exist among the languages spoken today?

• 10 families

• 15 families

• 20 families

• 25 families

What does a language tree represent in the study of languages?

• The chronological age of each language

• The number of people speaking each language

• The relationship and development among different language families

• The geographical distribution of languages

Approximately what fraction of the world's population speaks a language from the Indo-European language family?

• One quarter

• One third

• Nearly half

• Two thirds