In 19th-century linguistic anthropology, scholars routinely posited that the structural complexity of a language directly reflected the cognitive sophistication of its speakers. However, modern comparative linguistics has systematically undermined this assumption. Contemporary field studies demonstrate that languages spoken by small, isolated hunter-gatherer societies often feature remarkably intricate morphological systems—including non-concatenative verbal inflections and complex polysynthesis—that surpass the morphological complexity of languages spoken in large industrial nation-states. Far from serving as evidence of primitive cognitive development, these intricate structures function as highly efficient mechanisms for encoding nuanced spatial and evidential relationships within tight-knit speech communities.
Which of the following statements correctly describe the rhetorical function of the sentence beginning with 'Contemporary field studies demonstrate...' within the context of the passage? Select all that apply.
- It presents empirical findings that directly challenge the 19th-century anthropological hypothesis mentioned in the opening sentence.Answer
- It offers specific structural examples, such as polysynthesis and verbal inflections, to illustrate morphological complexity in isolated languages.Answer
- CIt formulates a new predictive model linking industrial development with grammatical simplification across global speech communities.
- DIt serves as the author's primary thesis concluding why small societies specifically developed complex morphological systems.
- EIt qualifies the scope of modern comparative linguistics by pointing out methodological limitations in recent field research.