Nhận biết (M1)

A team of linguists hypothesized that languages spoken in hotter, more humid climates tend to rely more heavily on vowel sounds, which travel better than consonants through warm, moisture-laden air. To investigate, they compared the sound inventories of hundreds of languages with climate data for the regions in which each language is chiefly spoken.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the linguists' hypothesis?

• A.

  Languages with large vowel inventories are often easier for adult learners to acquire.

• B.

  Among the sampled languages, those spoken in hot, humid regions used vowels in a significantly higher proportion of their sounds than those spoken in cold, dry regions.

• C.

  Some languages spoken in cold climates also make frequent use of vowel sounds.

• D.

  The total number of languages spoken in humid regions has declined over the past century.