Language Quiz

In which of the following countries is one most likely to find speakers whose native language belongs to the Uralic language family?

• Libya
• Cambodia 
• Kazakhstan
• Portugal

 Which of the following terms best describes the geographical boundary of one particular linguistic feature?

• isogloss
• language border
• toponym
• linguistic hearth

5. A dialect is best classified as which of the following?

• language branch
• cultural trait
• language group
• language family

A highly simplified language developed between linguistically heterogeneous groups for the purposes of basic intergroup communication is known as which of the following?

• Creole
• Pidgin
• Lingua Franca
• Bilingualism

All of the following belong to the Indo-European language family except

• Hindi
• Bengali
• Farsi
• Mandarin 

The English language belongs to which of the following branches of the Indo-European language family?

• Hellenic
• Romanic
• Germanic
• Celtic

One distinctive feature of the Indo-European family is that it

• has a smaller spatial distribution than other language families
• is the only language family with just one major lingua franca
• includes most of the world's oldest languages
• is spoken by nearly half the world's population

Which resulted from the mixing of two languages to create a new one so that people who spoke different languages could trade more easily?

• Indo-European
• Amerindian
• Arabic
• Swahili

Which is the best example of the diffusion of a language?

• the decline in use of the Navajo language
• the spread of English via the Internet
• the designation of one official language for a country
• the use of bilingual signs in a country with two official languages

Some countries have several official languages because they want to 

• make international diplomacy easier
• foster political cooperation with neighboring countries.
• make government operate more efficiently 
• give recognition to different groups within the country