Language and Linguistics + Cliffnotes English Questions

Question 1

What is the “Alphabetic Principle”?

Answer 1

idea that sounds used in oral speech are represented by written symbols. Sound-symbol correspondence. In english we use arabic to represent our sounds. Just remember, SOUNDS represented by SYMBOLS. Like /a/ makes the “ah” sound. That is the Alphabetic Principle.

Question 2

What does “Logographic” mean?

Answer 2

A writing system where SYMBOLS represent MEANING

Ex: Chinese adapted this type of writing system.

Question 3

What is “Phonology”?

Answer 3

Rule system within a language by which phonemes are sequenced, patterned, and uttered to represent meaning.
The study of sound.

Question 4

What is a Phoneme?

Answer 4

The smallest unit of sound that can change the meaning of a word.
ex: (tarts) (s) - starts. when put together, can completely change the meaning of the word.

Question 5

What is articulation?

Answer 5

How we use our mouth, our tongue, our lips, etc. to produce speech sounds.

Question 6

How do we produce vowels?

Answer 6

Without occluding, diverting, or obstructing the flow of air from our lungs. We keep our tongue in place, no moving of tongue or lips.

Question 7

**What is “phonemic awareness”?

Answer 7

allows us to perform segmenting, blending, and rhyming

• if a child has phonemic awareness the child can blend words together. -share, bear, care- they can identify similar phonemes in those words.
• give you a list of words where a child spelled correctly and incorrectly, why do they? Are they spelling phonetically? Do they have Phonetic Awareness?

Question 8

What is Phonics?

Answer 8

An approach to the study of the relationship between letters and the sounds they represent, and can also mean reading instruction which teaches sound-symbol correspondences in order to help students “sound out” words.

Question 9

What is Morphology?

Answer 9

The study of meaningful units of language (called Morphemes) and how their patterns of distribution contribute to the forms and structure of words.

Question 10

Break up the Morphemes in “unbelievably”. Which ones are “free” morphemes and which are “bound”?

Answer 10

Un- believe- -able -ly. (un- bound) (believe- free) (-able bound) (-ly bound)

Question 11

What is a derivational morpheme?

Answer 11

It’s similar to a bound morpheme and often is one. It just means that it has the ability to change the morpheme. It’s a morpheme that is combined with roots and or stems to form new words with new meanings and has the potential to change the part of speech. Can even change it from a noun to verb, or whatever.
ex: “-ly” changes how you would use that word.

Question 12

what is a root word?

Answer 12

the core of a word. Ex: in unbelievably- believe is the root.

Question 13

What is the stem?

Answer 13

Can be made up of a affixes AND root. “Unbelievable” is the stem of unbelievably.

Question 14

What are affixes?

Answer 14

bound morphemes attached to the root or base word. Prefixes and suffixes.
prefixes ex: un-
suffixes ex: -ly

Question 15

What is syntax?

Answer 15

The study of rules for the formation of grammatical sentences and the patterns by which words are combined to form phrases. “I ran quickly to get out of the pouring rain.” made up of various parts of speech (pronoun, conjugated verb, an infinitive verb, etc. all organized to the rules of syntax so that the meaning of sentence is conveyed.)

Question 16

What as infinitive verb?

Answer 16

what is a verb? “eating” is a verb. Was does infinitive mean? No time requirements. so what’s the infinitive verb of “eating”? “TO EAT!”

Question 17

Whats an adverb?

Answer 17

You are adding to a verb. to get out. where are you getting? you getting out. you look lovely. How do you look? LOVELY. lots end in LY.

Question 18

What is a preposition?

Answer 18

suggests a relationship between two things. Can be a relationship in time (before, during, and after) or relationships in space (inside, outside, beneath, above, below)
(by, with, and for) creates relationships between things.

Question 19

What is an article? Indefinite? Definite? (NOT INFINITIVE OR DEFINITIVE)

Answer 19

it tells you if it is a definitive thing or an indefinite thing. (One or more things)
Definite article- The
Indefinite article- A chair, An automobile.

Can you go get the chair? There’s only one. Definite article.
Can you go get a chair? How many chairs are there? No idea. Indefinite article.

Question 20

What’s an adjective?

Answer 20

modifying a noun. “pouring” rain. what kind of rain? the pourin kind.

Question 21

Whats a conjection?

Answer 21

word that functions as a connector. ex: but, and, because. connects two independent clauses.

Question 22

What’s an interjection?

Answer 22

WOW! An isolated word used to express emotion.

Question 23

What is a verbal?

Answer 23

POS (parts of speech) derived from verbs, such as participles and infinitives.
“I have been” (past participles) of “to be”
the two words “have been” work together to create that past participle and we call those verbals. infinitive form of that verb.
“to get” (infinitive)- put the words together and you call that a verbal. So we call that the infinitive version of that verbal.

Question 24

What’s a phrase?

Answer 24

“The rusty bucket.” (article, adjective, noun) Groups of words that function as a single unit within the syntax of that sentence.

Question 25

What is the best way to identify a phrase? (Like verb, noun, prepositional)

Answer 25

Find the most important word in the phrase, called the “head word”.

“Full of bubbles” bubble is the most important word. Noun phrase
“Over the hill” -Prepositional phrase, “over” is important
“Jump up and down” verb phrase.

Question 26

What is a clause?

Answer 26

a group of words that contain a subject AND a predicate.

Ex: “The rabbit” “ran from the fox”
-subject -predicate

The subject is typically a noun or noun phrase.
The predicate is typically a verb or verb phrase

Question 27

What is a predicate?

Answer 27

Usually comes at the end, what is happening to the noun.

Question 28

What is similar to all the world’s languages?

Answer 28

Subject/Predicate style sentences.

Question 29

What is a pronoun?

Answer 29

A word that replaces a noun. “It, He, She, They”

Question 30

What is an Article?

Answer 30

A word that describes a noun as definite or indefinite. Definite articles meaning only one “the” chair. “the” marker. / “a” chair, “an” object (more than one).

Question 31

What are the most important types of clauses? Give examples of each.

Answer 31

An independent, dependent, and relative.

Independent- has at least a subject and a verb, and CAN stand alone as a complete sentence. “The rabbit ran from the fox.”
Dependent- CANNOT stand alone clause. not a complete sentence, functions as a noun adjective or adverb. “before I woke up”
Relative clause- dependent clause that is introduced by a relative pronoun, adjective or adverb, and usually modified what comes before it (antecedent). ex: my dad is the tall man who “who wears glasses.”
“who wears glasses” is the relative clause.
**On the exam, look for words like “who, which, and that” usually indicates a relative clause.

Question 32

Give an example of a “simple” sentence.

Answer 32

Is only made up of one clause.

“The rabbit ran from the fox.”

Question 33

Definition and example of a “compound” sentence.

Answer 33

contains two or more coordinate independent clauses, usually joined by one or more conjunctions, but no dependent clause. “The rabbit ran from the fox and he got away.” Both parts can stand alone, “and” is the conjunction. (Or with a semicolon)

Question 34

What is a “complex” sentence?

Answer 34

dependent clause + main clause

Before I woke up, I was sleeping soundly.

Question 35

What are “pragmatics”?

Answer 35

Situational context, verbal tone, body language. How you say something. “He’s a reaaallly nice guy.” eye roll
versus “He’s a really nice guy!”
-can vary with different cultures.

Question 36

What are two important but different models relating to the acquisition and development of a first language?

Answer 36

1. ) Biological model (Nativism) -Linguists Chomsky and Eric Lenneberg. Idea that children have innate language-specific abilities, parts of the brain dedicated to language acquisition. Like nature versus nurture, this argues for nature.
2. ) The social/functional model- Non-nativists like Elizabeth Bates and Catherine Snow believe that there is NO biological hardwiring but their is a psychological/social model. Social interactions influence learning (Nurture instead of nature)

Question 37

Who developed the stages in Language development.
What are they used for?
What are the stages?

Answer 37

Roger Brown’s 5 Stages
-helps to evaluate if a child is the norm or exceptional (can be behind the curve, just not the norm)
Stage 1
Early in stage 1, from 12 months of age to 26 months, children will be able to connect the agent with an action and an action with an object; for example, they can say dad walk, give ball. A simple no is used for negation. For a series of objects they just name them, without using connectors. From 22 months of age to 26 months, the late part of Stage I, they can form complete subject-verb-object sentences, use no and not interchangeably, connect words with and, while learning the present progressive -ing, to say Mom cooking, for instance. Prepositions in and on also appear.
monosyllabic, holophrases

Stage 2
The second stage occurs between 27 and 30 months of age, when children learn the meaning and how to use gonna, wanna and other embedding. Copula start appearing, as well as don’t and can’t in negative sentences, while the negative element is placed between the subject and the predicate. In interrogative sentences, an early inversion makes its appearance, in what and where sentences. Children will have learned how to use in and on prepositions, while during this stage, they will start using regular plurals, as well as irregular past, such as fell and ran.
-private speech-playing with language, practicing

Stage 3
Between the age of 31 and 34 months, children will start using the auxiliary verbs both in declarative and interrogative questions. In addition, auxiliary verbs will appear with copula in the later parts of the stage. Children will start using conjunctions such as if, so, or and but. Won’t will start appearing in negative sentences. Possessives, articles and regular past should have been used regularly by kids at this stage.

Stage 4
During the fourth stage, between 35 and 40 months of age, double auxiliary verbs will appear in declarative sentences. Children will use such verbs in negative sentences too, while adding isn’t, aren’t, doesn’t and didn’t to their vocabulary. In interrogative sentences, they will be able to invert the copula and subjects in polar (yes/no) questions, as well as do the auxiliary verb — subject inversion. When and how will also appear in answers. Embedded why questions and infinitive phrases at the end of sentences will also appear, as well as because, to express cause and effect.

Stage 5
Between 41 and 46 months of age, the indirect object will make its appearance in sentences. Children will start using wasn’t, wouldn’t, couldn’t and shouldn’t. Tag questions will start appear, such as “He is tall, isn’t he?” Children will start using relative clauses to connect very simple sentences, while three clause declaratives will appear. By now the regular third person and the irregular third person will be easily used.

Stage V+
After the age of 4, children will add the indefinite forms nobody, nothing, none and no one in negative sentences, but will still have problem with double negatives. Gerunds will also appear during this stage, as well as embedding and conjoining within the same sentence. Kids will also extend the use of clausal conjoining in their speech. In addition, contractible auxiliary, such as dad’s sleeping, will be widely used by children of this age.

Question 38

What is a holophrase?
What is telegraphic speech?
whats overextension? underextension?
Private speech?

Answer 38

holophrase-a single word used to create an entire meaning. “FOOD!” to say “I would like some food.”
telegraphic speech- “daddy play fun” shortened, just to get the main idea. might leave out prepositions and articles.
overextended- dog is a cow, fluffy and four legged
underextended- a Chihuahua is not a dog (if the child has a big dog as a pet)
Private speech- a child talking to self, playing with the language to learn it. practicing.

Question 39

What is exceptional language development?

Answer 39

It doesn’t fall into the norm. Unless a child’s English is a second language, then it might not be considered exceptional.

Question 40

What are the stages of language acquisition (acquiring a language, learning a new language)?

Answer 40

1. Silent period- engaging in internal private speech
2. Formulaic speech- using memorized phrases
3. Experimental- using simplified grammar and semantics to construct impromptu phrases.
4. Fluency- experimental leads to fluency. knowing a language.

Question 41

What are historically-related languages?

Answer 41

two languages that are similar to each other due to native language roots. like Latin and English, they have similar vocabulary.

Latin based languages- French, Italian Spanish, Romanian, English.

Question 42

What are two major approaches to developing literacy? Which one do most reading programs use?

Answer 42

The phonics approach and the whole language approach.

Most reading programs use elements of both. Most affective way to learn how to read.

Question 43

What is the phonic approach? What does it emphasize? What is its weakness?

Answer 43

Phonics approach emphasizes learning phonemes to sound out words (smallest units of sounds. Think of Jack- sounding out letters c/ a/ t- cat.)
You are blending, recognizing, gaining oral vocabulary- decoding unknown words.
Weakness- NOT all words in the english language are sounded out phonetically. Irregular. Can throw children off.

Question 44

What is the whole language approach?

Answer 44

emphasizes reading immersion techniques to help familiarize students with the irrgularities in English spelling.
Ex: doing a word wall, words with PH rather than F like physics, phone, phoenix
sorting words into word families. words that have things in common. Read a book with many PH words. exposure.

Question 45

What are the major stages of developing in developing literacy?

Answer 45

1. Pre-alphabetic
2. Early alphabetic phase
3. Late alphabetic phase
4. Orthographic phase

Question 46

What is the pre-alphabetic phase?

Answer 46

-The first phase in developing literacy
-preschool through kindergarden
-children becomes aware of the directional nature of text layout (reading left to right, top to bottom)
basic visual cues (recognizing first letter of their name)

Question 47

What is the early alphabetic phase?

Answer 47

• the second phase in developing literacy
• grades K-1st students
• begin to develop phonemic awareness to apply the alphabetic principle, associating letters with sounds. They begin spelling simple words like “bat” or “fog” but omit the vowel. (Why blending and sounding out is important)

Question 48

What is the late alphabetic phase?

Answer 48

-3rd phase in developing literacy
-1st grade
-students begin to consistently use vowels
-start recognizing groups of letters called phonograms (groups of letters that make a single sound, NOT PHONEMES, a single unit) ex: Ough
Students use phonemic awareness to decode unknown words.
(Blending, decoding words, figuring out the meaning with words they have never read before)

Question 49

What is infant directed speech?

Answer 49

motherese or parentese- “baby talk”. Don’t use with 2 or above.

Question 50

What is recasting?
expanding?
labeling?
and echoing?

Answer 50

Strategies to help improve a child’s natural ability to speech linguistically correct. Speak NATURALLY with a child.
recasting- rephrase what the child said in different words
expanding- restating in linguistically correct form
labeling- identifying what they said
echoing- repeating one to two words the child has said

“Yes, this is your favorite book, called Goodnight Moon.”

Question 51

When first preparing a lesson with many diverse sociocultural backgrounds, what should a teacher do first before preparing the lesson?

Answer 51

Prepare a portfolio for each child with strategies for individual instructional needs.

Question 52

Which part of “synchronous” means time?

Answer 52

chron- because chronos means time.

Question 53

When interpreting a student’s spelling development and planning for instruction…

Answer 53

collect samples of child’s writing and compare with other students. Create an inventory.

Question 54

If a child is struggling with reading… What should the teacher do?

Answer 54

Assess his reading and target instruction to meet identified skill needs. In addition, keep records of reading behavior and communicate with parents to gain assistance.

Question 55

When to use I or me… such as “my sister and I” or “my sister and me”

Answer 55

“The committee gave awards to my sister and me” is correct.
“to” is a connect word, a preposition when the pronoun “me” is the object of a preposition like “to”, you need to use “me” not “I”

Also to test you answer, read the sentence with the pronoun object silently. “The committee gave awards to I. Should be me.

Question 56

In most dictionaries, the explanation of the meaning of pronunciation symbols is usually found…

Answer 56

at the bottom of each page.

Question 57

Climax is the…. (what part of the story?)

Answer 57

the TURNING POINT! DUNDUN DUNNNNN

Question 58

A ballad is…

Answer 58

narrative poem that tells a story and was written to be sung.

Question 59

What is a “free verse” poem?

Answer 59

no rhymes, no regular metrical pattern, possibly breaks in the continuity of the poem.

Question 60

What is an “omniscient” point of view in literary criticism?

Answer 60

telling a story that allows author to enter the minds of his or her own characters. The narrator can see, know, report whatever he or she choose. Can be first or third person.

Question 61

What are three factors that inhibit language acquisition?

Answer 61

1. ) mental growth (expanding their ability to retain information. If it was slowed, words could be more difficult to memorize)
2. ) emotional growth (learning to express feelings. if this is slowed by emotional problems or inhibitions, it could slow to acquisition of language)
3. ) Social growth (additional language becomes necessary when a child interacts with other children. )

Question 62

When a child is reading something outloud and continually omits things (like the silent “e”) so example “hat” instead of “hate” or “cap” instead of “cape”.. what do you do?

Answer 62

1. Ask the child if what he or she is reading make sense in the context being read. NO.
2. Do more explicit instruction in vowel recognition
3. Needs more instruction on recognizing word patterns, especially silent e ones.
4. word sorting with final “e” words, exposure to print with these words.
5. Focus on similarities and differences to written word and student pronunciation.

Question 63

What is an Iambic pentameter?

Answer 63

Particular rhythm used it sonnets, usually Shakespeare sonnets. Ex: Sonnet 18
5 feet, feet= (small groups of syllables)

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
x / x / x / x / x
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
x / x / x / x / x