UCLA LING 1 ACTUAL EXAMINATION 2026
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
⩥sound symbolism. Answer: words whose pronunciation suggests their
meaning
⩥what is onomatopoeia and why are they different in different
languages despite association with the same objects/actions. Answer: - a
word that imitates the sound it represents
- sounds differ from language to language to reflect the sound system of
the language (gobble gobble vs glu-glu in Turkey)
⩥creative aspect of language. Answer: being able to produce an infinite
number of sentences never spoken before and to understand sentences
never heard before
⩥grammar. Answer: - set of unconcious rules that are responsible for our
linguistic creativity
- allows us to recognize which sentences are acceptable vs unacceptable
⩥lingustic competence. Answer: our knowledge of words and grammar
(what we know)
,⩥linguistic performance. Answer: how we use knowledge in actual
speech production and comprehension
⩥why does linguistic performance not reflect linguistic competence?.
Answer: we may stammer, pause, or produce slips of the tongue
unintentionally and are able to correct ourselves
⩥phonology. Answer: the rules for combining sounds to make words
⩥morphology. Answer: rules of word formation
⩥syntax. Answer: rules for combining words into sentences
⩥semantics. Answer: rules for assigning meaning
⩥lexicon. Answer: mental dictionary
⩥descriptive grammar. Answer: type of grammar that is more concerned
with how language is ACTUALLY USED rather than the rules of
grammar that might be taught in school
⩥prescriptive grammar. Answer: type of grammar that is more
concerned with how language SHOULD be used rather than what is
actually used
, ⩥prestige dialect. Answer: variety of the language spoken by people in
positions of power
⩥teaching grammar. Answer: a set of language rules written to help
speakers learn a foreign language or a different dialect of their language.
⩥why are sign languages the best evidence for language universals.
Answer: - components of sign language are similar to spoken languages
- system of gestures = system of sounds
- slips of the hand = slips of the tongue
⩥dialect. Answer: a variety of language whose grammar differs in
systematic ways from other varieties
- differences can be lexical, phonological, syntactic, and semantic
⩥dialect continuum. Answer: - there is no sudden major break between
dialects
- dialects merge into one another
⩥dialectal leveling. Answer: movement toward greater uniformity and
less variation among dialects
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
⩥sound symbolism. Answer: words whose pronunciation suggests their
meaning
⩥what is onomatopoeia and why are they different in different
languages despite association with the same objects/actions. Answer: - a
word that imitates the sound it represents
- sounds differ from language to language to reflect the sound system of
the language (gobble gobble vs glu-glu in Turkey)
⩥creative aspect of language. Answer: being able to produce an infinite
number of sentences never spoken before and to understand sentences
never heard before
⩥grammar. Answer: - set of unconcious rules that are responsible for our
linguistic creativity
- allows us to recognize which sentences are acceptable vs unacceptable
⩥lingustic competence. Answer: our knowledge of words and grammar
(what we know)
,⩥linguistic performance. Answer: how we use knowledge in actual
speech production and comprehension
⩥why does linguistic performance not reflect linguistic competence?.
Answer: we may stammer, pause, or produce slips of the tongue
unintentionally and are able to correct ourselves
⩥phonology. Answer: the rules for combining sounds to make words
⩥morphology. Answer: rules of word formation
⩥syntax. Answer: rules for combining words into sentences
⩥semantics. Answer: rules for assigning meaning
⩥lexicon. Answer: mental dictionary
⩥descriptive grammar. Answer: type of grammar that is more concerned
with how language is ACTUALLY USED rather than the rules of
grammar that might be taught in school
⩥prescriptive grammar. Answer: type of grammar that is more
concerned with how language SHOULD be used rather than what is
actually used
, ⩥prestige dialect. Answer: variety of the language spoken by people in
positions of power
⩥teaching grammar. Answer: a set of language rules written to help
speakers learn a foreign language or a different dialect of their language.
⩥why are sign languages the best evidence for language universals.
Answer: - components of sign language are similar to spoken languages
- system of gestures = system of sounds
- slips of the hand = slips of the tongue
⩥dialect. Answer: a variety of language whose grammar differs in
systematic ways from other varieties
- differences can be lexical, phonological, syntactic, and semantic
⩥dialect continuum. Answer: - there is no sudden major break between
dialects
- dialects merge into one another
⩥dialectal leveling. Answer: movement toward greater uniformity and
less variation among dialects
