FINAL EXAM SHS 367 QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS, UPDATED 2026, FULL
SOLUTIONS, GUARANTEED A+,
SUCCESS CERTIFIED
The Functions of Language
Beyond basic instruction, language serves four primary roles:
Communication: The primary exchange of information.
Social Ties: Small talk and "phatic" communication used to build and
maintain relationships.
Relieving Nervous Energy: Using "filler" words or vocalizing during stress
(e.g., exclaiming when you stub your toe).
Identity: Using specific dialects or "slang" to establish who you are and
which group you belong to.
The Great Debate: Skinner vs. Chomsky
The mid-20th century saw a massive clash between Behaviorism and Nativism
regarding how children learn to speak.
B.F. Skinner (Behaviorism)
Stimulus-Response: Skinner believed language is a learned behavior. A
child says "milk," the parent gives milk (reinforcement), and the behavior is
repeated.
Associative Chain Theory: He argued we learn language as a chain of
words that frequently occur together.
Imitation: Language is shaped entirely by the environment through
imitation and reinforcement.
Noam Chomsky (Nativism/Innatism)
Innate Ability: Chomsky argued humans are born with a Language
Acquisition Device (LAD).
, Universal Grammar: He believed all human languages share a structural
"blueprint" hardwired into the brain.
Creative: Language isn't just imitation; children can create sentences they
have never heard before.
The "Poverty of the Stimulus" Argument: This was Chomsky’s "knockout"
punch against Skinner. He argued that children aren't exposed to enough data (the
stimulus) to learn the complex rules of grammar purely by imitation. Since they
learn it anyway, the rules must be innate.
Competence vs. Performance
Chomsky also distinguished between what is in our heads and what comes out of
our mouths:
Linguistic Competence: Your internal knowledge of language rules. Even
if you make a slip of the tongue, your competence remains intact.
Linguistic Performance: The actual use of language in real-world
situations. Performance can be flawed due to tiredness, distraction, or
"nerves" (e.g., stuttering or mispronouncing a word).
Tip-of-the-Tongue (TOT) States
A TOT state is a failure in Linguistic Performance where you know a word but
cannot retrieve its physical sound.
Which words are most susceptible?
Uncommon words: Words we don't use daily.
Proper Nouns: Names of people or specific places (which often lack strong
semantic "links" compared to common nouns).
What people get TOTs more? -ANSWER✔✔- Second language learners
- Elderly
, For TOTs what info do we still have access to? -ANSWER✔✔- First and last
letters
- Word length
- # of syllables
- The meaning of it
What is the best way to try to resolve TOTs? -ANSWER✔✔by looking it up
What is phonology? -ANSWER✔✔Knowledge of fundamental sound units and
legal combinations
What is phoneme? -ANSWER✔✔The smallest sound of a meaningful word
What is morphology? -ANSWER✔✔Knowledge of meaning units
What is a morpheme? -ANSWER✔✔Smallest unit of meaning
What are the two types of morphemes? -ANSWER✔✔- Free : it can stand alone
- Bound : must be combined with other morphemes
What are the two types of bound morphemes? -ANSWER✔✔- Inflectional
- Derivational
What is an inflectional morpheme? -ANSWER✔✔It can change the tense, number
of degree (usually always the suffix) Ex. "s" "ing" "ed" "er" "est"
ANSWERS, UPDATED 2026, FULL
SOLUTIONS, GUARANTEED A+,
SUCCESS CERTIFIED
The Functions of Language
Beyond basic instruction, language serves four primary roles:
Communication: The primary exchange of information.
Social Ties: Small talk and "phatic" communication used to build and
maintain relationships.
Relieving Nervous Energy: Using "filler" words or vocalizing during stress
(e.g., exclaiming when you stub your toe).
Identity: Using specific dialects or "slang" to establish who you are and
which group you belong to.
The Great Debate: Skinner vs. Chomsky
The mid-20th century saw a massive clash between Behaviorism and Nativism
regarding how children learn to speak.
B.F. Skinner (Behaviorism)
Stimulus-Response: Skinner believed language is a learned behavior. A
child says "milk," the parent gives milk (reinforcement), and the behavior is
repeated.
Associative Chain Theory: He argued we learn language as a chain of
words that frequently occur together.
Imitation: Language is shaped entirely by the environment through
imitation and reinforcement.
Noam Chomsky (Nativism/Innatism)
Innate Ability: Chomsky argued humans are born with a Language
Acquisition Device (LAD).
, Universal Grammar: He believed all human languages share a structural
"blueprint" hardwired into the brain.
Creative: Language isn't just imitation; children can create sentences they
have never heard before.
The "Poverty of the Stimulus" Argument: This was Chomsky’s "knockout"
punch against Skinner. He argued that children aren't exposed to enough data (the
stimulus) to learn the complex rules of grammar purely by imitation. Since they
learn it anyway, the rules must be innate.
Competence vs. Performance
Chomsky also distinguished between what is in our heads and what comes out of
our mouths:
Linguistic Competence: Your internal knowledge of language rules. Even
if you make a slip of the tongue, your competence remains intact.
Linguistic Performance: The actual use of language in real-world
situations. Performance can be flawed due to tiredness, distraction, or
"nerves" (e.g., stuttering or mispronouncing a word).
Tip-of-the-Tongue (TOT) States
A TOT state is a failure in Linguistic Performance where you know a word but
cannot retrieve its physical sound.
Which words are most susceptible?
Uncommon words: Words we don't use daily.
Proper Nouns: Names of people or specific places (which often lack strong
semantic "links" compared to common nouns).
What people get TOTs more? -ANSWER✔✔- Second language learners
- Elderly
, For TOTs what info do we still have access to? -ANSWER✔✔- First and last
letters
- Word length
- # of syllables
- The meaning of it
What is the best way to try to resolve TOTs? -ANSWER✔✔by looking it up
What is phonology? -ANSWER✔✔Knowledge of fundamental sound units and
legal combinations
What is phoneme? -ANSWER✔✔The smallest sound of a meaningful word
What is morphology? -ANSWER✔✔Knowledge of meaning units
What is a morpheme? -ANSWER✔✔Smallest unit of meaning
What are the two types of morphemes? -ANSWER✔✔- Free : it can stand alone
- Bound : must be combined with other morphemes
What are the two types of bound morphemes? -ANSWER✔✔- Inflectional
- Derivational
What is an inflectional morpheme? -ANSWER✔✔It can change the tense, number
of degree (usually always the suffix) Ex. "s" "ing" "ed" "er" "est"
