Syntax Vocabulary Practice

Question 1

Syntax

Answer 1

the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.

Question 2

Sound Inventory

Answer 2

Sounds used to construct the words of a specific language.

Question 3

Word Frequency

Answer 3

Frequency of words in a corpus.

Question 4

Articulators

Answer 4

Parts of the vocal apparatus involved in speech production.

Question 5

Bilabial

Answer 5

Sounds characterized by the constriction of lips.

Question 6

Labio-Dentals

Answer 6

Places of articulation being lower lip and upper teeth.

Question 7

linguistic performance

Answer 7

the ability to produce and comprehend sentences in a language.

Question 8

speech communication chain

Answer 8

the process through which information is communicated, consisting of an information source, transmitter, signal, receiver, and destination.

Question 9

lexicon

Answer 9

is the vocabulary of a language or branch of knowledge.

Question 10

descriptive grammar

Answer 10

lay out the grammatical elements and rules of a language as it is actually used.

Question 11

reasons some people believe writing to be superior to speech (list 3 reasons)

Answer 11

writing is physically more stable and can be preserved, whereas language cannot unless it is captured but audio or video recording.
writing is more organized with fewer errors because it can be edited whereas language cannot.
because writing can be taught, writing develops more educational value which contributes to professional speech.

Question 12

prescribe

Answer 12

a rule that tells you how you should speak or write according to someone’s idea of what is good or bad.

Question 13

mode of communication

Answer 13

means by which messages are transmitted and received.

Question 14

pragmatic function

Answer 14

communication must serve some useful purpose.

Question 15

cultural transmission

Answer 15

Property of a communication system referring to the fact that at least some aspects of it are learned through interaction with other users of the system.

Question 16

arbitrariness

Answer 16

words of a language represent a connection between a group of sounds or signs which give the word its form or meaning; which the form can be said to represent.

Question 17

non-arbitrariness

Answer 17

direct correspondence between the physical properties of a form and the meaning that the form refers to.

Question 18

onomatopoeia

Answer 18

iconic use of words that are imitative of sounds occurring in nature or that have meanings that are associated with such sounds.

Question 19

discreteness

Answer 19

the property of communication systems by which complex messages may be built up out of smaller parts.

Question 20

modality

Answer 20

a mode of communication (how it is produced, and how it is perceived).

Question 21

differences between codes and languages (list 4)

Answer 21

a code has no structure of it’s own but instead borrows its structure from the nature language it represents.
codes never have native speakers, whereas language does.
word order.
transmission of information.

Question 22

What is a spectrogram?

Answer 22

A spectrogram is a graphic representation of the frequency distribution of the complex jumble of sound waves that give the hearing impression of speech sounds.

Question 23

Allophones of the Phoneme

Answer 23

Phones which function as alternant realizations of the same phoneme.

Question 24

Minimal Pairs

Answer 24

A pair of words which differ in only one sound, but differ in meaning.

Question 25

Aspiration

Answer 25

The process of aspirating stops.

Question 26

Syllabic Consonants

Answer 26

Consonants which occupy the central part of the syllable.

Question 27

Onset

Answer 27

The initial phonological unit of any word.

Question 28

Syllabification

Answer 28

Assigning syllable structure to words.

Question 29

Phoneme

Answer 29

A sound or a group of different sounds perceived to have the same function by speakers of the language or dialect in question.

Question 30

Linguist

Answer 30

A person skilled in foreign languages or a person who studies linguistics.

Question 31

Morphology

Answer 31

Rules of word-formation.

Question 32

Pragmatics

Answer 32

How to properly use language in context.

Question 33

Morphemes

Answer 33

the smallest grammatical unit of speech.

Question 34

Idioms

Answer 34

Linguistic expressions whose overall meaning cannot be predicted from the meanings of the constituent parts.

Question 35

Innateness Hypothesis

Answer 35

that our ability to acquire (human) language is innate (genetically encoded).

Question 36

Sign Language

Answer 36

manual communication commonly used by people who are deaf.

Question 37

Reinforcement

Answer 37

anything that increases the likelihood that a response will occur.

Question 38

Active Construction of a Grammar

Answer 38

a theory that children actively invent rules as they go along.

Question 39

linguistic competence

Answer 39

the unconscious knowledge of grammar that allows a speaker to use and understand a language.

Question 40

performance error

Answer 40

errors in language production or comprehension, including hesitations and slips of the tongue.