Listening: Languages with no numbers and no left or right

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B2 | Listening from video | 10 min

Watch the video (2:55 - 6:10). You can watch more than once, then answer the questions.

What is true about the Pirahã word 'hói'?

____ It means exactly one and nothing else____ It can describe a small amount, such as two small fish____ It is used to mean 'many' in everyday talk

How did the researchers test the Pirahã people's maths skills?

____ They asked them to add small numbers aloud____ They asked them to count the fish in a river____ They asked them to repeat patterns or remember how many objects were in a can

Everett lived with the Pirahã for more than ten years.

____ True____ False____ Not Given

ONE WORD from the video.

Everett concluded that people without number words cannot work out ____ numbers.

The speaker says the Pirahã cannot do maths because they are less intelligent.

____ True____ False____ Not Given

What is worth saying in Pirahã culture, according to Everett?

____ Stories about ancestors____ Plans for the future____ What is being experienced right now

ONE WORD from the video.

The Pirahã appear to have no creation ____ to explain their existence.

ONE WORD from the video.

Kuuk Thaayorre speakers use ____ directions such as north and south instead of left and right.

Why are Kuuk Thaayorre speakers so good at knowing where they are?

____ Their language requires them to use directions all the time____ They are taught to use compasses as children____ They live in a place with very few landmarks

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