LINA01 COMPREHENSIVE EXAM STUDY
GUIDE WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
●● What is linguistics?
Answer: the scientific study of language
●● What is linguistic knowledge?
Answer: It is the unconscious knowledge. When people speak a specific
language and are able to tell what constructions are correct/incorrect in
that language, but they are not able to explain why.
●● What is competence?
Answer: A person's unconscious knowledge of what can and can't be
said in their language.
●● What is performance?
Answer: It is how the performer actually uses his/her linguistic
competence to produce and understand speech.
●● What is Mental Grammar?
Answer: It is a mental system of rules that is stored in the mind of a
native speaker. These rules allow us to interpret novel sentences that
we've never heard before.
,●● What are the five components of mental grammar?
Answer: 1. Phonetics-Tells you which sounds exist in the language
2. Phonology-About sound combinations and the rules for sound
combinations and how certain sounds can be put together.
3. Morphology-How words are formed and structured
4. Syntax-why certain sentences are grammatical or ungrammatical.
5. Semantics-If you want to know if a sentence is grammatical and
meaningful you refer to your semantics.
●● What is prescriptive grammar? And what are their arguments.
Answer: The shoulds and shouldn'ts of speaking in that language.
-prescribed rules
1. One form is more logical than another.
2. An appeal to classical forms
3. A preference for older forms of the language.
4. Injunction against the use of foreign words.
Ex. Prescriptive grammar would say 'me and john went to the movies' is
incorrect and 'john and I went to the movies' is correct.
●● descriptive grammar
Answer: In this course, we are only concern with descriptive grammar. A
descriptive approach studies and characterizes the actual language of
, specific groups of people in a range of situations. There are no
preconceived ideas of correctness to the task or favours the language of
one social group as somehow better than others. Spoken by the native
speakers of the language and it is understood by other native speakers.
The spoken language doesn't always have to be grammatical. For ex. Me
and John ate lunch is acceptable.
●● What is the definition of mental lexicon?
Answer: The mental lexicon is like a mental dictionary where we store
simple words and sounds from which we create words.
●● Form-meaning is ________.
Answer: Arbitrary, meaning that it is not based on iconic (based on
intrinsic properties).
-The meaning of a word has no necessary connection to the sound or
form of the word.
●● Definition of morphology
Answer: The study of the structures of words and the component of
grammar that includes the rules of word formation.
Includes how units of meaning combine to form words.
●● What is a word?
Answer: The smallest free form in language.
GUIDE WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
●● What is linguistics?
Answer: the scientific study of language
●● What is linguistic knowledge?
Answer: It is the unconscious knowledge. When people speak a specific
language and are able to tell what constructions are correct/incorrect in
that language, but they are not able to explain why.
●● What is competence?
Answer: A person's unconscious knowledge of what can and can't be
said in their language.
●● What is performance?
Answer: It is how the performer actually uses his/her linguistic
competence to produce and understand speech.
●● What is Mental Grammar?
Answer: It is a mental system of rules that is stored in the mind of a
native speaker. These rules allow us to interpret novel sentences that
we've never heard before.
,●● What are the five components of mental grammar?
Answer: 1. Phonetics-Tells you which sounds exist in the language
2. Phonology-About sound combinations and the rules for sound
combinations and how certain sounds can be put together.
3. Morphology-How words are formed and structured
4. Syntax-why certain sentences are grammatical or ungrammatical.
5. Semantics-If you want to know if a sentence is grammatical and
meaningful you refer to your semantics.
●● What is prescriptive grammar? And what are their arguments.
Answer: The shoulds and shouldn'ts of speaking in that language.
-prescribed rules
1. One form is more logical than another.
2. An appeal to classical forms
3. A preference for older forms of the language.
4. Injunction against the use of foreign words.
Ex. Prescriptive grammar would say 'me and john went to the movies' is
incorrect and 'john and I went to the movies' is correct.
●● descriptive grammar
Answer: In this course, we are only concern with descriptive grammar. A
descriptive approach studies and characterizes the actual language of
, specific groups of people in a range of situations. There are no
preconceived ideas of correctness to the task or favours the language of
one social group as somehow better than others. Spoken by the native
speakers of the language and it is understood by other native speakers.
The spoken language doesn't always have to be grammatical. For ex. Me
and John ate lunch is acceptable.
●● What is the definition of mental lexicon?
Answer: The mental lexicon is like a mental dictionary where we store
simple words and sounds from which we create words.
●● Form-meaning is ________.
Answer: Arbitrary, meaning that it is not based on iconic (based on
intrinsic properties).
-The meaning of a word has no necessary connection to the sound or
form of the word.
●● Definition of morphology
Answer: The study of the structures of words and the component of
grammar that includes the rules of word formation.
Includes how units of meaning combine to form words.
●● What is a word?
Answer: The smallest free form in language.
