Which statement explicitly asserts that language is made up mainly of vocal sounds produced by the human speech apparatus?

• A. Language is arbitrary
• B. Language is primarily vocal
• C. Language is a means of communication
• D. Language is a system of systems

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how language is realized—the physical form it takes. The statement identifies language as made up mainly of vocal sounds produced by the human speech apparatus, which points to spoken language as the primary modality. It names the source of those sounds—the vocal cords and the articulators in the mouth and throat—and thus directly describes what language is most commonly and visibly composed of in everyday use: audible speech.

Other options touch on true aspects of language—its meaning or its function—but they don’t specify the physical medium. Arbitrariness refers to how form and meaning are connected, not to how language is produced. Being a means of communication is true, but it’s too broad and not about the production of language. Describing language as a system of systems is vague and doesn’t pinpoint the vocal basis of spoken language. So the choice that explicitly states the vocal, speech-based nature of language best fits the prompt.