Week 9 Review

What is the text "How did Language Begin" about?

• how languages gradually developed over time into the languages of the world today

• how human beings became capable of using language

• how chimpanzees and bonobos can communicate

What is the most important physical difference between men and chimpanzees when it comes to the ability of having a language?

• Opposable thumbs

• Size of the brain

• Different capacities of the brain

• Human capacity to walk upright because of lower extremities

What is a basic difficulty in studying the evolution of language?

• Evidence is so sparse since spoken languages don't leave fossils

• Language began as a sign language

• Fossil skulls shows us the shape and size of hominid brains

• Written language is only 5000 years old

What is language?

• The different words and systems that people use to communicate

• The ability to express complex meaning through the combination of sounds

• The principal method of human communication

• All options are correct

In his talk, Michael Corballis mentions one difference between human and animal communication. What is the difference?

• Animal communication does not exist

• Animal communication is very simple

• Animal communication is mostly repetitive and automatic

• Human communication is limited in creating new meanings

For Corballis, human languase arose from?

• Gestures

• Vocal cords

• Large brains

Corballis considers the first critical separation between men and apes was....

• More vocal tracts

• Less body hair

• LArger brains

• Bipedalism

After bipedalism, what was the second moment in which the hands became free?

• When humans started using the mouth

• More use of the face to show different expressions

• Both options are correct

Corballis finishes his talk mentioning that we have gone from "the wagging of tongues to the wiggling on thumbs". What is he talking about?

• Excessive use of social media

• People's intercultural communication problems

• Spoken communication being replaced by written communication

• Increase in the use of emojis and pictorial communication through telephone

What is bipedalism?

• Is to ride a bicycle

• Is walking up straight

• Is using hands and feet to move around

• The charateristic of walking on two feet