Language: Basic Concepts, Theories and Pedagogy MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Language: Basic Concepts, Theories and Pedagogy - Download Free PDF

The correct answer is Technical dictionary.

Key Points

• A technical dictionary is designed to provide precise, literal meanings and the etymologies of words that are specialized in nature.
• Such dictionaries are particularly useful for professionals, students, and researchers in specific fields such as engineering, medicine, law, and the sciences.
• They offer detailed definitions and explanations of technical terms, ensuring a clear understanding of complex concepts.
• Technical dictionaries often include illustrations, charts, and diagrams to aid in the comprehension of specialized terminology.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

Additional Information

• Learner's dictionary: Aimed at language learners, providing simple definitions and usage examples.
• Descriptive dictionary: Focuses on how language is actually used, rather than prescribing rules.
• Prescriptive dictionary: Provides rules and guidelines on how language should be used.

The correct answer is Morphophonemic alternation.

Key Points

• Morphophonemic alternation refers to the change in pronunciation (phoneme) that occurs in different morphological contexts.
• This phenomenon explains why the 'c' in "price" changes to 'z' in "prize".
• It is a specific rule that governs how morphemes (the smallest units of meaning) are pronounced depending on their phonological environment.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

Additional Information

• Final devoicing: A phonological process where voiced consonants become voiceless at the end of a word.
• Flapping: A phonological process in American English where /t/ and /d/ are pronounced as a quick, soft tap of the tongue against the roof of the mouth.
• Sonorant Voicing: Involves voicing of sonorant sounds like nasals, liquids, and glides.

The correct answer is Systematic sound change.

Key Points

• The Great Vowel Shift was a major change in the pronunciation of the English language that took place between 1400 and 1600.
• It involved a series of systematic changes in the vowel system of Middle English, affecting the pronunciation of long vowels.
• This shift was crucial in the transition from Middle English to Modern English.
• The change was systematic and affected the entire vowel system, which is why it is categorized as a systematic sound change.
• The shift had a profound impact on English spelling and pronunciation, leading to many of the irregularities seen in the language today.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

Additional Information

• Phonological merger: This is a process where two distinct phonemes become a single phoneme over time.
• Diachronic syntactic change: Refers to changes in sentence structure over time.
• Vowel shortening: This involves the reduction in length of vowel sounds.

The correct answer is Option 2.

Key Points

• Grimm's Law, named after the linguist Jacob Grimm, describes a set of systematic sound changes that occurred in the consonants of the Germanic language family.
• This law explains the shift from Proto-Indo-European (PIE) voiceless stops to Proto-Germanic voiceless fricatives, among other changes.
• For example, the PIE /p/, /t/, and /k/ sounds changed to /f/, /θ/ (as in English "th"), and /h/ in Germanic languages.
• These changes are part of what distinguishes the Germanic languages from other Indo-European languages, such as Romance and Slavic languages.
• Understanding Grimm's Law is crucial for historical linguistics and the study of the evolution of the Germanic languages.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

Additional Information

• Romance languages: A branch of the Indo-European language family that evolved from Latin, including languages like French, Spanish, and Italian.
• Slavic languages: Another branch of the Indo-European family, including languages like Russian, Polish, and Czech.
• Celtic languages: A branch of the Indo-European languages that includes Irish, Welsh, and Breton.

The correct answer is Option 4.

Key Points

• Spoken discourse is often analyzed in discourse studies due to its spontaneous and conversational nature.
• Unlike written text or monologue, spoken discourse captures the natural flow of conversation, including interruptions, overlaps, and other features of real-time speech.
• It is typically unplanned and can provide insights into social interactions, cultural norms, and pragmatic usage of language.
• Analyzing spoken discourse helps linguists understand how language is used in everyday communication.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

Additional Information

• Written text: A form of communication that is pre-planned and can be edited before finalizing.
• Monologue: A prolonged speech by one person, usually in a formal or theatrical context.
• Dialogue: A conversation between two or more people, often scripted in literary works but can be spontaneous in real-life scenarios.

The correct answer is Lev Vygotsky.

Key Points

• Lev Vygotsky was a Soviet psychologist best known for his work on psychological development in children.
• He proposed the theory that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition.
• Vygotsky contended that language and thought develop simultaneously and interactively.
• He suggested that higher cognitive functions, such as planning and reasoning, are deeply rooted in social interactions mediated by language.
• Vygotsky's theories emphasize the importance of cultural and social context in cognitive development.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

Additional Information

• Jean Piaget: A Swiss psychologist known for his theory of cognitive development that describes how children construct a mental model of the world.
• George Herbert Mead: An American sociologist known for his work on the development of the self and social identity through interaction.
• Noam Chomsky: An American linguist and cognitive scientist known for his theory of generative grammar and his views on the innate aspects of language.

The correct answer is Michael Tomasello.

Key Points

• Michael Tomasello is a prominent developmental psychologist and linguist.
• He is known for his work on the social and cognitive foundations of language development.
• In "The Social Origins of Language," Tomasello argues that language evolution is a complex process influenced by social, cognitive, and environmental factors.
• This perspective challenges the idea of a single point of origin for language, suggesting instead that language evolved through a series of adaptive changes.
• Tomasello's research emphasizes the role of cooperative communication and shared intentionality in the development of human language.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

Additional Information

• Stephen Levinson: A linguist known for his work on pragmatics and the relationship between language and cognition.
• Derek Bickerton: A linguist who proposed the "bioprogram hypothesis" of language evolution.
• Robin Dunbar: An anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist known for the "Dunbar's number" theory regarding social group size and cognitive limits.

The correct answer is Conceptual Structures.

Key Points

• Ray Jackendoff is a prominent linguist and cognitive scientist known for his work on the interface between language and cognition.
• He introduced the term "Conceptual Structures" to describe the mental representations that integrate syntactic, semantic, and phonological information.
• These structures are crucial for understanding how humans process and produce language.
• Jackendoff's theory emphasizes the importance of these integrated structures in making sense of sentences and their meanings.
• His work has significantly influenced theories of grammar and the study of cognitive linguistics.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

Additional Information

• Cognitive Frames: These refer to the mental structures that shape how we perceive and interpret information, but they do not specifically integrate syntactic, semantic, and phonological components.
• Mental Models: These are psychological representations of real, hypothetical, or imaginary situations, but they are broader and not specific to linguistic structures.
• Phrasal Networks: This term is not specifically associated with Jackendoff's theory and does not capture the integrated nature of syntactic, semantic, and phonological components in the same way as Conceptual Structures.

The correct answer is Givón's Principle of Chronology.

Key Points

• Talmy Givón is a linguist known for his contributions to the field of syntax and semantics.
• Givón's Principle of Chronology, also referred to as Givón's Economy, states that less frequent linguistic items tend to be longer or more complex.
• This principle is grounded in the idea that language tends to economize effort for more commonly used items while allowing less frequent items to be more detailed or complex.
• The principle aligns with the broader understanding of linguistic economy, which seeks to balance communicative efficiency with clarity and detail.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

Additional Information

• Zipf's Law: A principle that suggests a relationship between the frequency of a word and its rank in the frequency table.
• Principle of Informativeness: A principle suggesting that more informative expressions tend to be longer and more complex.
• Givón's Economy: Another term for Givón's Principle of Chronology, emphasizing the economization in language use.

The correct answer is 'A temporary linguistic system created by learners of a second language'.

Key Points

• Interlanguage refers to the evolving linguistic system that language learners develop in the process of acquiring a second language (L2). This system is unique to the learner and lies somewhere between the learner’s native language (L1) and the target language (L2).
• It is characterized by variability depending on factors such as the language context (formal vs. informal) or the learner's focus (on accuracy vs. fluidity), showing that learners actively test hypotheses about the second language.
• Interlanguage is dynamic and constantly changing as learners receive more input and feedback in the target language, reflecting progressive acquisition of L2 grammar, vocabulary, and phonology.
• This concept highlights the creative aspect of second language acquisition, as learners are not merely imitating the target language but constructing a personal approximation of it based on their understanding and L1 influence.
• The development of an interlanguage reflects the learner's cognitive processes as they try to bridge the gap between L1 and L2, incorporating elements of both in a unique way.
• Interlanguage can include "fossilized" errors, which are persistent grammatical or phonological mistakes that the learner continues to make even at advanced levels of language proficiency.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 3'.

 Additional Information

• Option 1 ('The mixed language used by learners in the process of learning a second language'): While this description might partially align with interlanguage, it misses the specificity of being a unique, evolving system.
• Option 2 ('The final stage of language learning when a second language is fully acquired'): Interlanguage is not the final stage; it's a temporary system during the acquisition process.
• Option 4 ('The native language of a learner which influences the learning of a second language'): This describes the concept of language transfer, not interlanguage.

The correct answer is Technical dictionary.

Key Points

• A technical dictionary is designed to provide precise, literal meanings and the etymologies of words that are specialized in nature.
• Such dictionaries are particularly useful for professionals, students, and researchers in specific fields such as engineering, medicine, law, and the sciences.
• They offer detailed definitions and explanations of technical terms, ensuring a clear understanding of complex concepts.
• Technical dictionaries often include illustrations, charts, and diagrams to aid in the comprehension of specialized terminology.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

Additional Information

• Learner's dictionary: Aimed at language learners, providing simple definitions and usage examples.
• Descriptive dictionary: Focuses on how language is actually used, rather than prescribing rules.
• Prescriptive dictionary: Provides rules and guidelines on how language should be used.

The correct answer is Morphophonemic alternation.

Key Points

• Morphophonemic alternation refers to the change in pronunciation (phoneme) that occurs in different morphological contexts.
• This phenomenon explains why the 'c' in "price" changes to 'z' in "prize".
• It is a specific rule that governs how morphemes (the smallest units of meaning) are pronounced depending on their phonological environment.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

Additional Information

• Final devoicing: A phonological process where voiced consonants become voiceless at the end of a word.
• Flapping: A phonological process in American English where /t/ and /d/ are pronounced as a quick, soft tap of the tongue against the roof of the mouth.
• Sonorant Voicing: Involves voicing of sonorant sounds like nasals, liquids, and glides.

The correct answer is Systematic sound change.

Key Points

• The Great Vowel Shift was a major change in the pronunciation of the English language that took place between 1400 and 1600.
• It involved a series of systematic changes in the vowel system of Middle English, affecting the pronunciation of long vowels.
• This shift was crucial in the transition from Middle English to Modern English.
• The change was systematic and affected the entire vowel system, which is why it is categorized as a systematic sound change.
• The shift had a profound impact on English spelling and pronunciation, leading to many of the irregularities seen in the language today.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

Additional Information

• Phonological merger: This is a process where two distinct phonemes become a single phoneme over time.
• Diachronic syntactic change: Refers to changes in sentence structure over time.
• Vowel shortening: This involves the reduction in length of vowel sounds.

The correct answer is Option 2.

Key Points

• Grimm's Law, named after the linguist Jacob Grimm, describes a set of systematic sound changes that occurred in the consonants of the Germanic language family.
• This law explains the shift from Proto-Indo-European (PIE) voiceless stops to Proto-Germanic voiceless fricatives, among other changes.
• For example, the PIE /p/, /t/, and /k/ sounds changed to /f/, /θ/ (as in English "th"), and /h/ in Germanic languages.
• These changes are part of what distinguishes the Germanic languages from other Indo-European languages, such as Romance and Slavic languages.
• Understanding Grimm's Law is crucial for historical linguistics and the study of the evolution of the Germanic languages.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

Additional Information

• Romance languages: A branch of the Indo-European language family that evolved from Latin, including languages like French, Spanish, and Italian.
• Slavic languages: Another branch of the Indo-European family, including languages like Russian, Polish, and Czech.
• Celtic languages: A branch of the Indo-European languages that includes Irish, Welsh, and Breton.

The correct answer is Option 4.

Key Points

• Spoken discourse is often analyzed in discourse studies due to its spontaneous and conversational nature.
• Unlike written text or monologue, spoken discourse captures the natural flow of conversation, including interruptions, overlaps, and other features of real-time speech.
• It is typically unplanned and can provide insights into social interactions, cultural norms, and pragmatic usage of language.
• Analyzing spoken discourse helps linguists understand how language is used in everyday communication.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

Additional Information

• Written text: A form of communication that is pre-planned and can be edited before finalizing.
• Monologue: A prolonged speech by one person, usually in a formal or theatrical context.
• Dialogue: A conversation between two or more people, often scripted in literary works but can be spontaneous in real-life scenarios.