1 Linguistics is concerned with prescribing how people ought to speak their language.
A O2
O1 True
R1 Read p.000 again.
O2 False
R2
2 Most linguistic signs are symbolic.
A O1
O1 True
R1
O2 False
R2 Read p.000 again.
3 Onomatopoeic words are iconic signs.
A O1
O1 True
R1
O2 False
R2 Read p.000 again.
4 Language is a system of signs.
A O1
O1 True
R1
O2 False
R2 See discussion on p.000.
5 Paradigmatic relations are the relations between two items occurring together: for and example are in paradigmatic relation in for example.
A O2
O1 True
R1 Read p.000 again, paying attention to the difference between paradigmatic and syntagmatic relations.
O2 False
R2
6 Which of the following best describes the meaning of Charles Hockett's feature displacement?
A O3
O1 The property of something (e.g. a word) being in the wrong place.
R1 Read p.000 again.
O2 Capability of communicating about the system of communication.
R2 This is a different design feature; read p.000 and p.000 again.
O3 Ability to communicate about things not actually present.
R3
O4 Capability of being able to produce new meanings.
R4 This is a different design feature; read p.000 and p.000 again.
O5 Property of something being lost in the process of communication.
R5 Read p.000 again.
7 Only human languages have the property of arbitrariness.
A O2
O1 True
R1 Read p.000 again.
O2 False
R2
8 Which of the following gives the best description of duality in Hockett's scheme?
A O2
O1 The linguistic sign has two aspects: form and meaning.
R1 On the right track, but this is not the best description; read p.000 again.
O2 Both form and meaning components of the sign are patterned.
R2
O3 Human languages can be both spoken and written.
R3 Off the track; read p.000 again.
O4 Users take on alternately the roles of producer and receiver of messages.
R4 Read p.000 again. The alternation of producer and receiver roles is called interchangeability.
O5 Some languages (such as Sanskrit) have a special dual form of nouns meaning 'two'.
R5 True, but the dual number category is not duality. See p.000.
9 Deaf sign languages are full human languages satisfying all of Hockett's design features.
A O1
O1 True
R1
O2 False
R2 Read p.000 again.
10 Speech is derivative from writing.
A O2
O1 True
R1 Read p.000 again.
O2 False
R2
11 Sign languages use the visual-inscribed medium.
A O2
O1 True
R1 Read p.000 again.
O2 False
R2
12 The primary medium for most natural human languages is the auditory-vocal medium.
A O1
O1 True
R1
O2 False
R2 See p.000.
13 English has 5 vowels, a, e, i, o, and u.
A O2
O1 True
R1 Written English employs 5 vowel symbols. However, all dialects of spoken English have many more than this number of vowels.
O2 False
R2
14 Which of the following words is in paradigmatic opposition with forget in I will never forget that terrible day
A O2
O1 I
R1 Read p.000 again.
O2 remember
R2
O3 day
R3 Read p.000 again.
O4 did
R4 Read p.000 again.
O5 always
R5 Read p.000 again.
15 Deaf sign languages are systems in which spoken languages are represented in the visual-gestural medium.
A O2
O1 True
R1 See again the discussion of mediums of language on p.000.
O2 False
R2
16 People all around the world talk about speaking and language.
A O1
O1 True
R1
O2 False
R2 Read p.000 again.
17 Which of the following was the earliest known tradition of linguistics?
A O4
O1 Greek
R1 Read p.000 again.
O2 Arabic
R2 Read p.000 again.
O3 Chinese
R3 Read p.000 again.
O4 Babylonian
R4
O5 Hindu
R5 Read p.000 again.
18 The main division of modern linguistic theories is into which of the following oppositions:
A O2
O1 Historical vs. Structuralist
R1 Read p.000 again.
O2 Formal vs. Functional
R2
O3 Formal vs. Informal
R3 Read p.000 again.
O4 Modernism vs. Postmodernism
R4 Read p.000 again.
O5 Structuralist vs. Poststructuralist
R5 Read p.000 again.
19 According to all functional theories of linguistics only meaning is of interest, and the notion of the linguistic sign is rejected.
A O2
O1 True
R1 Read p.000 again carefully.
O2 False
R2
20 The founding father of modern linguistics is generally considered to be which of the following men:
A O3
O1 Charles Darwin
R1 Read p.000 again.
O2 Leonard Bloomfield
R2 Read p.000 again.
O3 Ferdinand de Saussure
R3
O4 Nicholai Trubetzkoy
R4 Read p.000 again.
O5 Daniel Jones
R5 Read p.000 again.
O6 Noam Chomsky
R6 Read p.000 again.
21 Which of the following is not an example of a sign?
A O2
O1 The word and
R1 Incorrect; this is a linguistic sign (see p.000, p.000)
O2 The letter g in the word give
R2
O3 The word bird
R3 Incorrect; this is a linguistic sign (see p.000, p.000)
O4 The H in H2O
R4 Incorrect; here H is a sign with signifier the letter H and signified 'hydrogen' (see p.000)
22 Which of the following branches of linguistics is primarily concerned with changes in a language or several languages over time?
A O1
O1 historical linguistics
R1
O2 sociolinguistics
R2 See p.000.
O3 morphology
R3 See p.000.
O4 evolutionary linguistics
R4 See p.000.
O5 typology
R5 See p.000.
O6 semantics
R6 See p.000.
23 Roughly how many languages are spoken in the world today?
A O3
O1 500
R1 Well off the mark. See p.000, and §17.1 for further discussion.
O2 2000
R2 Incorrect. See p.000, and §17.1 for further discussion.
O3 7000
R3
O4 100
R4 Wrong. Far too low an estimate. See p.000, and §17.1 for further discussion.
O5 100,000
R5 Wrong. Far too high an estimate. See p.000, and §17.1 for further discussion.
o6 10,000
R6 Not far off the mark, though a little high. See p.000, and §17.1 for further discussion.