LING 115 LINGUISTICS FINAL PRACTICE
QUESTIONS AND DETAILED SOLUTIONS
◉ Which of the following CAN'T be described by an s-curve?
a. the diffusion of a sound change through the words a speaker
knows
b. the diffusion of a disease through a community
c. the diffusion of a sound change through the speakers of a language
d. the diffusion of pollution in a body of water
Answer: d. the diffusion of pollution in a body of water
◉ Once a change begins in a language, it can't be stopped.
True
False
Answer: False
◉ If a sound change happened in English such that all instances of
"th" became pronounced as "d," the word "that" would be
pronounced as "dat" before the word "thereby" was pronounced as
"dereby."
,True
False
Answer: True
◉ The language of Napkinish is experiencing a change. Speakers,
starting in the city of Forktown, have stopped using the "-ippa" suffix
in the past tense. In Forktown, the words "tullippa," "loppippa," and
"bonippa" are all now pronounced as "tull," "lopp," and "bon" in the
past tense. In the town of Spoonville thirty miles away, "tullippa" is
pronounced as "tull," and "bonippa" is pronounced as "bon," but
"loppippa" must still be pronounced "loppippa." Bowlville is another
town sixty miles away from Forktown on the other side of
Spoonville. (You have to drive through Spoonville to get to Bowlville
in fact.) What must be true in Bowlville?
a. The people in Bowlville definitely do NOT say "lopp" instead of
"loppippa."
b. The people in Bowlville definitely say "lopp" instead of "loppippa."
c. The people in Bowlville definitely say "bon" instead of "bonippa."
d. The language change definitely hasn't reached Bowlville.
Answer: a. The people in Bowlville definitely do NOT say "lopp"
instead of "loppippa."
◉ An isogloss is a line between two dialects.
,True
False
Answer: False
◉ It has become common in some varieties of English recently to say
"las" instead of "last" (as in: "He came in las"). Which of the
following is true of this change?
a. It is the result of speakers being too lazy to include the final
consonant.
b. It is the result of a predictable change whereby speakers reduce
the markedness of the language.
c. It is evidence that English has become less elegant than how it was
spoken 100 years ago.
d. It shows that English is improving towards being more logical.
Answer: b. It is the result of a predictable change whereby speakers
reduce the markedness of the language.
◉ What does the Benrath Line mark?
a. Whether speakers of German say "k" or "ch" on words such as
"ich" and "machen."
b. Which dialect of German speakers use.
, c. Whether the speakers of German are considered to be low, high, or
middle class.
d. Whether speakers of French were living in the area.
Answer: a. Whether speakers of German say "k" or "ch" on words
such as "ich" and "machen."
◉ If speakers of a variety are unsure about a linguistic feature (ex:
they can't quite decide if the plural of "cactus" is "cacti" or
"cactuses"), it's probably because that linguistic feature is in the
process of changing.
True
False
Answer: True
◉ Why do most speakers of American English pronounce "cursory"
with three syllables and "every" with two syllables?
a. "Cursory" is very hard to pronounce with two syllables.
b. It's the proper way to pronounce the words, and native speakers
learned these pronunciations in school.
c. Losing a syllable in "cursory" would make it sound too much like
another word.
d. "Every" is a more common word than "cursory."
QUESTIONS AND DETAILED SOLUTIONS
◉ Which of the following CAN'T be described by an s-curve?
a. the diffusion of a sound change through the words a speaker
knows
b. the diffusion of a disease through a community
c. the diffusion of a sound change through the speakers of a language
d. the diffusion of pollution in a body of water
Answer: d. the diffusion of pollution in a body of water
◉ Once a change begins in a language, it can't be stopped.
True
False
Answer: False
◉ If a sound change happened in English such that all instances of
"th" became pronounced as "d," the word "that" would be
pronounced as "dat" before the word "thereby" was pronounced as
"dereby."
,True
False
Answer: True
◉ The language of Napkinish is experiencing a change. Speakers,
starting in the city of Forktown, have stopped using the "-ippa" suffix
in the past tense. In Forktown, the words "tullippa," "loppippa," and
"bonippa" are all now pronounced as "tull," "lopp," and "bon" in the
past tense. In the town of Spoonville thirty miles away, "tullippa" is
pronounced as "tull," and "bonippa" is pronounced as "bon," but
"loppippa" must still be pronounced "loppippa." Bowlville is another
town sixty miles away from Forktown on the other side of
Spoonville. (You have to drive through Spoonville to get to Bowlville
in fact.) What must be true in Bowlville?
a. The people in Bowlville definitely do NOT say "lopp" instead of
"loppippa."
b. The people in Bowlville definitely say "lopp" instead of "loppippa."
c. The people in Bowlville definitely say "bon" instead of "bonippa."
d. The language change definitely hasn't reached Bowlville.
Answer: a. The people in Bowlville definitely do NOT say "lopp"
instead of "loppippa."
◉ An isogloss is a line between two dialects.
,True
False
Answer: False
◉ It has become common in some varieties of English recently to say
"las" instead of "last" (as in: "He came in las"). Which of the
following is true of this change?
a. It is the result of speakers being too lazy to include the final
consonant.
b. It is the result of a predictable change whereby speakers reduce
the markedness of the language.
c. It is evidence that English has become less elegant than how it was
spoken 100 years ago.
d. It shows that English is improving towards being more logical.
Answer: b. It is the result of a predictable change whereby speakers
reduce the markedness of the language.
◉ What does the Benrath Line mark?
a. Whether speakers of German say "k" or "ch" on words such as
"ich" and "machen."
b. Which dialect of German speakers use.
, c. Whether the speakers of German are considered to be low, high, or
middle class.
d. Whether speakers of French were living in the area.
Answer: a. Whether speakers of German say "k" or "ch" on words
such as "ich" and "machen."
◉ If speakers of a variety are unsure about a linguistic feature (ex:
they can't quite decide if the plural of "cactus" is "cacti" or
"cactuses"), it's probably because that linguistic feature is in the
process of changing.
True
False
Answer: True
◉ Why do most speakers of American English pronounce "cursory"
with three syllables and "every" with two syllables?
a. "Cursory" is very hard to pronounce with two syllables.
b. It's the proper way to pronounce the words, and native speakers
learned these pronunciations in school.
c. Losing a syllable in "cursory" would make it sound too much like
another word.
d. "Every" is a more common word than "cursory."
