Introduction to practical linguistics

Question 1

What is the difference between tokens and types?

Answer 1

Tokens = how many words
Types = how many unique words

Question 2

What is TTR?

Answer 2

Type token ratio
Type/token

Question 3

What is a lexeme?

Answer 3

Basic lexical unit that comes in different forms
(eg: dog, dogs)

Question 4

Vocabulary is one of the most significant problems for which kinds of children?

Answer 4

Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN)

Question 5

Which test looks at expressive language?

Answer 5

Naming selection tests
“Tell me what this is”

Question 6

Which test looks at receptive language?

Answer 6

Picture selection tests
“Can you point to the pen”

Question 7

What are the 6 principles of selection for words and non-words?

Answer 7

Imageability
Familiarity/frequency
Age of acquisition
Length (phonemes/ syllables / spelling)
Neighbourhood density
Non words: sound/spelling regularity

Question 8

What is imageability (principle of selection)?

Answer 8

Ensuring word isn’t abstract

Question 9

How is the familiarity/frequency of words found out (principle of selection)?

Answer 9

TTR
Databases

Question 10

Why is age of acquisition (principle of selection) important?

Answer 10

Words acquired earlier are more likely to be preserved in aphasia

Question 11

What is neighbourhood density?

Answer 11

Number of words that differ from a word by one phoneme

Question 12

What is an example of spelling/sound regularity for non-words?

Answer 12

Zeak = peak
Zeak ≠ break

Question 13

What are semantic fields?

Answer 13

Words linked in a mental lexicon in terms of their relatedness in meaning

Question 14

What are 2 forms of evidence for semantic fields?

Answer 14

Speech errors (eg: fork for spoon)
Aphasia (selective impairments of categories eg: proper names)

Question 15

What are sense relations?

Answer 15

Semantic relationships between words, directly or indirectly, that gives them meaning

Question 16

What is synonomy?

Answer 16

Lexemes are synonyms if one can be substituted for the other (in context) without affecting the meaning of the sentence

Question 17

Give an example of synonymy

Answer 17

He will FIX / REPAIR the road

Question 18

Although it doesn’t really exist, what is absolute synonymy?

Answer 18

Lexemes have the same descriptive, expressive, and social meaning in all contexts

Question 19

Give 2 example of absolute synonymy

Answer 19

Flannel : face cloth
Moan : whinge

Question 20

What is hyponymy?

Answer 20

The relationship between a member of a set and the name of that set

Question 21

What is the hyponym?

Answer 21

Set member (eg: pine, oak, willow)

Question 22

What is the hypernym?

Answer 22

The set (eg: tree)

Question 23

How do you test hyponymy?

Answer 23

1 way entailment test
Eg: all tigers are animals, but not all animals are tigers

Question 24

How do clinical resources test hyponymy?

Answer 24

Semantic fluency tasks (eg: name as many items of clothing as you can)
Phonemic fluency tasks (eg: name as many words that start with P)

Question 25

What are the 4 types of antonymy (opposition)?

Answer 25

Complementary antonyms
Gradable antonyms
Directional antonyms
Converses (relational antonyms)

Question 26

What are complementary antonyms? Give an eg

Answer 26

Assertion of one entails denial of other (if A, not B)
Eg: dead : alive

Question 27

What are gradable antonyms? Give an eg

Answer 27

Relative, not absolute
Eg: old : young
Eg: hot, hotter, hottest

Can be modified by intensifiers (eg: very)