LINGUISTICS EXAM REVIEW QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS.
Which of the following branches of linguistics is concerned with how sounds are used in
languages?
Phonology
To say that some piece of knowledge is innate means to say that it is
encoded in the genes
A modular architecture of the language system implies
The mind consists of specialized parts that do specific things they have evolved to do and
interact in a very limited fashion
Behaviorism emphasized
learning
The theoretical perspective that humans' ability to learn language is not the result of innate
or genetically based predisposition that evolved specifically for language, but an aspect of
our cognitive abilities, including general abilities of learning and memory is known as
anti-nativist theory
Which of Hockett's design features of human language can also be attributed to honeybee
communication?
Interchangeability
An example of Hockett's productivity characteristic in non-human primate communication
would be demonstrated by an ape making the sign for
sweet sausage when asked to identify a banana before having learned the sign for banana.
_______ is the set of rules that determines how linguistic elements, such as words, can be
combined to convey meaning.
, Syntax
The theory of universal grammar claims that
humans are born with implicit knowledge of the rules of grammar of all human languages.
The theory of universal grammar predicts that
a new language discovered in a remote region of South America would have structural patterns
that children are innately predisposed to learn.
A comparison of birdsong with human language suggests that
both human infants and young songbirds must practice their vocal skills in order to master them.
Can a young deaf child, born into a hearing family, communicate with her parents?
Yes, deaf children usually invent a gestural language to communicate with their parents.
Senghas et al. (2004) noticed that during the formation and evolution of Nicaraguan Sign
Language, purely gestural signs tended to develop a more linguistic style as the sign
language evolved from earlier to later "generations" of signers. How would a late-
generation signer of NSL describe a bird flying up?
Instead of representing one motion of a "bird flying up" in one holistic gesture, a signer uses one
gesture to convey the concept of a "bird" followed by a separate gesture conveying the action of
"rising" or "flying."
Which statement conveys the most accurate comparison of spoken English and American
Sign Language (ASL)?
ASL uses grammatical structures that are systematic, but very different from those found in
English.
The system of symbols, agreed upon by a community of language users, that conveys
specific meaning is known as
a linguistic code.
The cultural transmission view of language change holds that
AND CORRECT ANSWERS.
Which of the following branches of linguistics is concerned with how sounds are used in
languages?
Phonology
To say that some piece of knowledge is innate means to say that it is
encoded in the genes
A modular architecture of the language system implies
The mind consists of specialized parts that do specific things they have evolved to do and
interact in a very limited fashion
Behaviorism emphasized
learning
The theoretical perspective that humans' ability to learn language is not the result of innate
or genetically based predisposition that evolved specifically for language, but an aspect of
our cognitive abilities, including general abilities of learning and memory is known as
anti-nativist theory
Which of Hockett's design features of human language can also be attributed to honeybee
communication?
Interchangeability
An example of Hockett's productivity characteristic in non-human primate communication
would be demonstrated by an ape making the sign for
sweet sausage when asked to identify a banana before having learned the sign for banana.
_______ is the set of rules that determines how linguistic elements, such as words, can be
combined to convey meaning.
, Syntax
The theory of universal grammar claims that
humans are born with implicit knowledge of the rules of grammar of all human languages.
The theory of universal grammar predicts that
a new language discovered in a remote region of South America would have structural patterns
that children are innately predisposed to learn.
A comparison of birdsong with human language suggests that
both human infants and young songbirds must practice their vocal skills in order to master them.
Can a young deaf child, born into a hearing family, communicate with her parents?
Yes, deaf children usually invent a gestural language to communicate with their parents.
Senghas et al. (2004) noticed that during the formation and evolution of Nicaraguan Sign
Language, purely gestural signs tended to develop a more linguistic style as the sign
language evolved from earlier to later "generations" of signers. How would a late-
generation signer of NSL describe a bird flying up?
Instead of representing one motion of a "bird flying up" in one holistic gesture, a signer uses one
gesture to convey the concept of a "bird" followed by a separate gesture conveying the action of
"rising" or "flying."
Which statement conveys the most accurate comparison of spoken English and American
Sign Language (ASL)?
ASL uses grammatical structures that are systematic, but very different from those found in
English.
The system of symbols, agreed upon by a community of language users, that conveys
specific meaning is known as
a linguistic code.
The cultural transmission view of language change holds that
