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Syntactic Productivity and Recursion

Description: This quiz covers the concepts of syntactic productivity and recursion in linguistics.
Number of Questions: 5
Created by:
Tags: syntax productivity recursion
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What is syntactic productivity?

  1. The ability of a language to produce new sentences from a limited set of rules.

  2. The ability of a language to produce new words from a limited set of rules.

  3. The ability of a language to produce new sounds from a limited set of rules.

  4. The ability of a language to produce new meanings from a limited set of rules.

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Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Syntactic productivity is the ability of a language to produce new sentences from a limited set of rules. This allows speakers to express new ideas and concepts without having to learn new words or grammar rules.

What is recursion?

  1. The ability of a sentence to embed itself within itself.

  2. The ability of a word to embed itself within itself.

  3. The ability of a phrase to embed itself within itself.

  4. The ability of a clause to embed itself within itself.

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Recursion is the ability of a sentence to embed itself within itself. This allows speakers to create sentences of arbitrary length and complexity.

Which of the following sentences is an example of syntactic productivity?

  1. The cat sat on the mat.

  2. The cat sat on the mat that was in the kitchen.

  3. The cat sat on the mat that was in the kitchen that was in the house.

  4. The cat sat on the mat that was in the kitchen that was in the house that was on the hill.

Show answer
Correct Option: D
Explanation:

This sentence is an example of syntactic productivity because it is a new sentence that has been created from a limited set of rules. The speaker has used the rule of recursion to embed one sentence within another.

Which of the following sentences is an example of recursion?

  1. The cat sat on the mat.

  2. The cat sat on the mat that was in the kitchen.

  3. The cat sat on the mat that was in the kitchen that was in the house.

  4. The cat sat on the mat that was in the kitchen that was in the house that was on the hill.

Show answer
Correct Option: D
Explanation:

This sentence is an example of recursion because it contains a sentence that is embedded within itself. The speaker has used the rule of recursion to create a sentence of arbitrary length and complexity.

What are some of the implications of syntactic productivity and recursion for language?

  1. They allow speakers to express new ideas and concepts without having to learn new words or grammar rules.

  2. They allow speakers to create sentences of arbitrary length and complexity.

  3. They allow speakers to communicate with each other more efficiently.

  4. All of the above.

Show answer
Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Syntactic productivity and recursion are two of the most important features of human language. They allow speakers to express new ideas and concepts without having to learn new words or grammar rules, they allow speakers to create sentences of arbitrary length and complexity, and they allow speakers to communicate with each other more efficiently.

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