Linguistics Mid Term Exam

Question 1

Allophones

Phonetic Environment as a descriptive statement

Answer 1

/p/ has allophones [p(h), p, and p^]
Pot, Pith
[P(h)] in word-initial position
————————————-
Spat, Spin
[P] following [s]
————————————-
Tap, Flop
[P^] in word-final position

(^) Stands for the upside down “L” in the workbook.

Question 2

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Phonetic Environment as a rule

Answer 2

/p/

V: Vowel
#: The silence at the beginning or end of a word

Footnote

Question 3

Describe phonemes and explain how tie/die would be an example.

Answer 3

phonemes are a sound that functions to distinguish one word from another in a language. [tai] “tie” and [dai] “die” for example in English. The /t/ and the /d/ would be considered phonemes.

Question 4

Affix

Answer 4

A grammatical element that is combined with a word, stem, or phrase to produce derived or inflected forms.

Question 5

Prefixes

Answer 5

Bound morphemes that attach at the beginnings of base forms.

Ex. In English: Un - helpful

Question 6

Suffixes

Answer 6

Bound morphemes that attach at the ends of base forms.

Ex. In English: Help - er

Question 7

Infixes

Answer 7

Bound morphemes that are inserted into the middle of the sentence.

Ex. In English: abso - bloody - lutely

Question 8

Identify the type of affix

Impossible

Answer 8

Im - possible

Prefix

Question 9

Identify the affix

Singing

Answer 9

Sing - ing

Suffix

Question 10

Identify the affix

Fanbloodytastic

Answer 10

Fan - bloody - tastic

Inflix

Question 11

Sentence tree

Answer 11

A detailed breakdown of a sentence using the format of a tree.

Check online for example. Brainscape only allows images on flashcards with the pro upgrade.

Question 12

Ambiguity

Answer 12

A sentence that can have multiple meanings.

Ex. We saw her duck

Could mean she is ducking to avoid something or they saw the duck that she owns.

Question 13

Affix

For morphemes

Answer 13

Morphemes that attach to bases. Categorized by where they are attached to base morphemes.

Question 14

Morphemes

Answer 14

smallest unit of meaning in a language.”unhelpful” in english has 3 morphemes

Question 15

Bases

Answer 15

Morphemes that form the foundations of words.

Question 16

Minimal pairs

Answer 16

A pair of words in which a difference in sound makes a difference in meaning. [tai] “tie” and [dai] “die” for example in English.

Other examples in English: Bet and bed, fan and van, disk and desk.

Question 17

Theoretical Concepts of how language formed

Chomsky’ idea vs. Pinker’s idea

An opiniated question that will be on the test

Be prepared to back it up with evidence

Answer 17

Chomsky: Language is genetically inheireted (genetic endowment) to learning any language but not any specific one. It is essentially prebuilt into a baby’s brain while in the womb. A special adaptation in the brain.
Pinker: Gaining language is not an instinct. Language arose slowly through cognitive and cultural inventiveness.

Question 18

Language Aquisition

Answer 18

Study of processes through which humans aquire language.

Question 19

Do animals have language?

Answer 19

It’s your opinion. Just be prepared for the question on the test and be prepared to back it up with evidence.

Question 20

Sign Language

An open-ended question that will be on the test

Answer 20

A question about the importance of it, why it’s unique, and your thoughts on it will be on the test.

Question 21

Portmanteau

Answer 21

affix when two words are smashed together to create one simpler one

Ex: blog

Question 22

Circumfix

Answer 22

an affix that is fixed to the beginning and end of the base

Question 23

Reduplication

Answer 23

an affix in which the base is repeated slower than the first

Question 24

Interweaving

Answer 24

an affix in which morphemes are woven into the base

Question 25

Why is Sign Language important?

Answer 25

SL allows people who cannot speak or hear to participate in language and has also taught linguists a lot about how language is used and developed

Question 26

What makes Sign Language unique?

Answer 26

it is a way of communicating via language without the use of sound. They are not alternatives to spoken languages nor do they depend on them.