0

Tracing the Evolution of Dravidian Languages: A Historical and Linguistic Journey

Description: This quiz delves into the captivating history and linguistic journey of the Dravidian languages, exploring their evolution, diversity, and significance in the cultural tapestry of India.
Number of Questions: 15
Created by:
Tags: dravidian languages historical linguistics language evolution indian languages
Attempted 0/15 Correct 0 Score 0

Which language family do the Dravidian languages belong to?

  1. Indo-European

  2. Sino-Tibetan

  3. Dravidian

  4. Austroasiatic


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

The Dravidian languages form a distinct language family, unrelated to other major language families such as Indo-European or Sino-Tibetan.

What is the approximate number of Dravidian languages spoken today?

  1. 20

  2. 50

  3. 72

  4. 100


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

There are approximately 72 Dravidian languages spoken today, with the majority of them found in South India.

Which Dravidian language has the largest number of speakers?

  1. Telugu

  2. Tamil

  3. Kannada

  4. Malayalam


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Telugu is the Dravidian language with the largest number of speakers, with over 80 million native speakers primarily located in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.

What is the earliest known Dravidian inscription?

  1. The Indus Valley Script

  2. The Brahmi Script

  3. The Kharoshthi Script

  4. The Tamil-Brahmi Script


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

The earliest known Dravidian inscription is the Tamil-Brahmi Script, dating back to the 3rd century BCE, found in Tamil Nadu, India.

Which Dravidian language is considered to be the most conservative in terms of retaining its original features?

  1. Tamil

  2. Malayalam

  3. Kannada

  4. Telugu


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Tamil is considered to be the most conservative Dravidian language, having retained many of its original features and exhibiting a relatively slow rate of change over time.

What is the term used to describe the process of borrowing words from other languages into Dravidian languages?

  1. Lexical Diffusion

  2. Lexical Borrowing

  3. Lexical Transfer

  4. Lexical Exchange


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Lexical borrowing is the process by which Dravidian languages have adopted words from other languages, particularly from Sanskrit and Persian.

Which Dravidian language has been influenced the most by Sanskrit?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Malayalam

  4. Tamil


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Telugu has been influenced the most by Sanskrit due to its geographical proximity to the Indo-Aryan languages and its long history of interaction with Sanskrit-speaking cultures.

What is the term used to describe the process of Dravidian languages influencing other languages?

  1. Lexical Diffusion

  2. Lexical Borrowing

  3. Lexical Transfer

  4. Lexical Exchange


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Lexical diffusion refers to the process by which Dravidian languages have influenced other languages, particularly in South and Southeast Asia.

Which Dravidian language has influenced Southeast Asian languages the most?

  1. Tamil

  2. Malayalam

  3. Kannada

  4. Telugu


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Tamil has influenced Southeast Asian languages the most due to its historical role as a language of trade and cultural exchange in the region.

What is the term used to describe the process of language change in which sounds undergo regular and predictable changes over time?

  1. Sound Shift

  2. Sound Change

  3. Phonetic Change

  4. Phonological Change


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Sound shift refers to the process of regular and predictable changes in the pronunciation of sounds over time, leading to the evolution of new sounds and the loss of old ones.

Which sound shift is characteristic of the Dravidian languages?

  1. Grimm's Law

  2. Verner's Law

  3. Ruki's Law

  4. Kannada's Law


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Kannada's Law is a sound shift that occurred in the Dravidian languages, resulting in the change of certain consonants in specific positions.

What is the term used to describe the process of language change in which grammatical structures and syntactic patterns evolve over time?

  1. Grammatical Change

  2. Syntactic Change

  3. Morphological Change

  4. Structural Change


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Grammatical change refers to the process of evolution in the grammatical structures and syntactic patterns of a language over time.

Which grammatical change is characteristic of the Dravidian languages?

  1. The loss of case endings

  2. The development of tense-aspect markers

  3. The emergence of ergative-absolutive alignment

  4. The simplification of verb conjugations


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

The development of tense-aspect markers is a grammatical change that occurred in the Dravidian languages, resulting in the emergence of distinct markers to indicate tense and aspect.

What is the term used to describe the process of language change in which the meaning of words and phrases evolves over time?

  1. Semantic Change

  2. Lexical Change

  3. Conceptual Change

  4. Meaning Shift


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Semantic change refers to the process of evolution in the meaning of words and phrases over time, leading to shifts in their connotations and associations.

Which semantic change is characteristic of the Dravidian languages?

  1. The expansion of the meaning of certain words

  2. The narrowing of the meaning of certain words

  3. The development of new meanings for old words

  4. The loss of old meanings for certain words


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

The development of new meanings for old words is a semantic change that occurred in the Dravidian languages, resulting in the emergence of new meanings for existing words.

- Hide questions