Linguists' premises Β·Two claims to support view that Chinatown Chinese is a new dialect
(1) It's difficult for traditional dialect speakers who are <strong>new</strong> to the US to communicate with Chinatown Chinese speakers. (2) If one knows Chinatown Chinese terminology, speakers of any traditional dialect can communicate with other Chinatown Chinese speakers.
REJECT LINGUISTS' FIRST PREMISE Β·The language barrier between traditional dialects and Chinatown Chinese is exaggerated
As long as the Chinatown Chinese speakers avoid or explain unfamiliar terms (which are usually references to local things) a traditional dialect speaker can communicate easily with Chinatown Chinese speakers who know the same traditional dialect.
Reject linguists' second premise Β·Knowing Chinatown Chinese terms does not guarantee one can communicate with other Chinatown Chinese speakers
The traditional dialect of a Chinese speaker makes a big difference. Two speakers of different traditional dialects might not understand each other even if they both know Chinatown Chinese terms.
Passage Style
Critique or debate
5.
When the passage refers to βββββββββββββββ ββββββ βββββββ ββββββββ ββ βββ ββββββ βββββββββββ βββ ββββββ ββββ ββββββ βββββ βββββ
Question Type
Meaning in context (of word, phrase, or idea)
Structure
The author mentions transliterated terms along with direct translations as ways in which proper names and other terms associated with the U.S. are incorporated into Chinatown Chinese. Notice also that βdang-tangβ sounds similar to βdowntown.β So the meaning of βtransliteratedβ may have something to do with the sound of word.
This best captures the meaning of βtransliterated.β Whereas some words involve direct translations from English into Chinese, others involve words that are incorporated through their sounds and meaning, such as βdang-tangβ for βdowntown.β
b
that name objects, βββββββ βββ ββββββ ββββ βββ ββββ ββ βββββ ββββββββββ
This doesnβt make sense, because the term for βLabor Dayβ is identified as a direct translation. So if transliterated means events that are part of local experience, then the term for Labor Day would be transliterated rather than a direct translation.
c
that are written ββ βββ ββββ βββ ββ βββββββ ββββββββ
This isnβt the meaning, because we donβt know whether βdang-tangβ is written in the same way as βdowntown.β The characters for βdang-tangβ might look completely different from βdowntown.β
d
that are direct ββββββββββββ ββββ βββββββ ββββββββ
This doesnβt make sense, because direct translations are identified as another way besides transliteration in which terms from English can be incorporated into Chinatown Chinese.
e
that sound different ββ βββββββββ ββββββββ
We donβt know whether βdang-tangβ sounds different in different Chinese dialects. So this doesnβt make sense as the meaning of transliterated.
Difficulty
66% of people who answer get this correct
This is a difficult question.
It is significantly harder than the average question in this passage.
CURVE
Score of students with a 50% chance of getting this right
25%141
154
75%167
Analysis
Meaning in context (of word, phrase, or idea)
Structure
Critique or debate
Humanities
Answer Popularity
PopularityAvg. score
a
66%
164
b
10%
157
c
6%
161
d
17%
159
e
1%
150
Question history
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