1 There is no limit on the variation that is possible among human languages.
A O2
O1 True
R1 No, variation is constrained: see p.000.
O2 False
R2
2 A sample of 200 languages represents a better basis for doing typological linguistics than a sample of 50 languages.
A O3
O1 True
R1 Not always: see p.000.
O2 False
R2 It can: read p.000 again.
O3 Possibly, but not necessarily
R3
3 Which of the following is not an implicational universal? (Note that you are not asked whether or not they are valid, just whether they are implicational universals.)
A O3
O1 If a language has voiceless nasals it has voiced nasals
R1 This is an implicational universal: see p.000.
O2 All languages with a trial number distinction in nouns also have a dual distinction
R2 This is an implicational universal: see p.000.
O3 All languages have consonants and vowels
R3
O4 All languages with affricates have fricatives
R4 This is an implicational universal: see p.000.
4 Which of the following is a non-absolute universal? (Note that you are not asked whether or not they are valid universals.)
A O2
O1 All languages have vowels and consonants
R1 This is an absolute universal: see p.000.
O2 If a language has affricates it usually has fricatives
R2
O3 If a language has clicks, it has nasals
R3 This is an absolute universal: see p.000.
O4 All langauges have at least one phonemic stop
R4 This is an absolute universal: see p.000.
5 Which of the following implicational universals is better formulated as a non-implicational universal:
A O2
O1 If a language has verbs, it has adpositions
R1 This cannot be formulated as a non-implicational universal (see box on p.000)
O2 If a language has more than two consonants, it has more than one vowel
R2
O3 If a language has clicks, it has lexical tone
R3 This cannot be formulated as a non-implicational universal (see box on p.000)
O4 If a language has a large number of consonants it usually also has a large number of vowels
R4 This cannot be formulated as a non-implicational universal (see box on p.000)
O5 If a language has lexical tone, it also has stress
R5 This cannot be formulated as a non-implicational universal (see box on p.000)
6 Based on your knowledge of linguistics, which of the following is least likely to be an absolute universal?
A O4
O1 Languages have vowels
R1 This is a likely absolute universal: see p.000.
O2 Languages have stop phones
R2 This is a likely absolute universal: see p.000.
O3 If a language has a dual category for pronouns it will also distinguish singular from plural in pronouns
R3 This is a likely absolute universal: see p.000.
O4 Languages have a voicing distinction for stops
R4
7 Based on the data shown in the following figure, which of the generalisations below is not valid? (Each balloon represents a different language.)
[img:word_order.jpg]
A O4
O1 The verb tends to occur before the object
R1 No, this is valid: there is just one exception.
O2 If a language has prepositions it has VSO word order
R2 No, this generalization holds universally in the data.
O3 If a language has SVO word order it has postpositions
R3 No, this is an absolute implicational universal for the data set.
O4 If a language has postpositions it has SVO word order
R4
O5 If a language has VSO word order it has prepositions
R5 No, this is an absolute implicational universal for the data set.
8 Based on the data in the figure in Question 7 (repeated below), is it the case that languages have initial subjects if and only if they have postpositions?
[img:word_order.jpg]
A O1
O1 Yes
R1
O2 No
R2 No, it is the case. Examine the figure again.
9 Based on the data shown in the following figure, which of the generalisations below is valid?
[img:word_order2.jpg]
A O4
O1 The verb tends to occur after the subject
R1 No, this is valid for just 3 of the 8 languages.
O2 If a language has prepositions it has VSO word order
R2 No, there is one exception.
O3 Languages tend to have both prepositions and initial subjects
R3 Not so. There is a clear tendency to have prepositions, but not along with initial subjects.
O4 If a language has postpositions the subject precedes the verb
R4
O5 If a language has SVO word order it has prepositions
R5 No, this is true for just one of the two languages with SVO word order.
10 Based on the data in the above figure (repeated below), is it true that languages have prepositions if and only if the verb precedes the object?
[img:word_order2.jpg]
A O2
O1 Yes
R1 No. Although it is true that if a language has prepositions the verb precedes the object, there is a language in which the verb precedes the object but has no prepositions.
O2 No
R2
11 Which type of language is characterised by morphologically complex words in which it is not easy to separate morphemes from one another?
A O3
O1 isolating
R1 See p.000.
O2 agglutinating
R2 See p.000.
O3 fusional
R3
O4 polysynthetic
R4 See p.000.
12 Given that təwalamnagʔak means 'I sharpened the knife' in Chukchee, what morphological type would you expect this language to be?
A O4
O1 isolating
R1 Check the definition of isolating on p.000.
O2 agglutinating
R2 Check the definition of agglutinating on p.000.
O3 fusional
R3 Check the definition of fusional on p.000.
O4 polysynthetic
R4
13 If three number distinctions are marked on nouns in a language by inflections, which category will normally be the unmarked one?
A O1
O1 singular
R1
O2 dual
R2 See p.000.
O3 plural
R3 See p.000.
14 In a language that distinguishes number inflectionally on nouns, if an irregular noun does not make the distinction, which regular form is the irregular noun most likely to resemble?
A O1
O1 singular
R1
O2 plural
R2 See p.000, and note 2 (p.000).
15 Which of the following is not normally a feature of the unmarked category in an opposition?
A O3
O1 Smaller in phonological size than marked category
R1 See p.000.
O2 More frequent in use than marked category
R2 See p.000.
O3 Admits fewer distinctions in cross-cutting dimensions
R3
O4 Tends to occur where the oppositon is neutralised
R4 See p.000.
16 Is it true that the unmarked category in an opposition tends to be found most frequently across languages?
A O1
O1 Yes
R1
O2 No
R2 See p.000.
17 Supposing that the following hierarchy accounts for the use of alienable and inalienable possessive constructions cross-linguistically, which end would you expect inalienable possession to extend out from?