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Typological Universals

Description: This quiz is designed to test your knowledge of typological universals in linguistics. Typological universals are generalizations about the structure of languages that are true for a large number of languages. These universals provide insights into the commonalities and differences among languages and help us understand the nature of human language.
Number of Questions: 15
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Tags: linguistics language typology typological universals
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Which of the following is a typological universal?

  1. All languages have nouns and verbs.

  2. All languages have a subject-verb-object word order.

  3. All languages have a writing system.

  4. All languages have a tonal system.

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The typological universal that all languages have nouns and verbs is supported by a large amount of cross-linguistic evidence. Nouns are words that refer to objects, people, or places, while verbs are words that refer to actions, events, or states of being. These two categories are fundamental to human language and are found in all known languages.

Which of the following is NOT a typological universal?

  1. All languages have consonants and vowels.

  2. All languages have a system of tense.

  3. All languages have a system of aspect.

  4. All languages have a system of case.

Show answer
Correct Option: D
Explanation:

The typological universal that all languages have a system of case is not supported by cross-linguistic evidence. While many languages have a system of case, there are some languages that do not. For example, Mandarin Chinese does not have a system of case.

Which of the following is a Greenbergian universal?

  1. All languages have a subject-verb-object word order.

  2. All languages have a system of tense.

  3. All languages have a system of aspect.

  4. All languages have a system of case.

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The Greenbergian universal that all languages have a subject-verb-object word order is one of the most well-known typological universals. It is supported by a large amount of cross-linguistic evidence and is thought to be a fundamental property of human language.

Which of the following is a implicational universal?

  1. If a language has a system of tense, then it also has a system of aspect.

  2. If a language has a system of aspect, then it also has a system of tense.

  3. If a language has a system of case, then it also has a system of tense.

  4. If a language has a system of tense, then it also has a system of case.

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The implicational universal that if a language has a system of tense, then it also has a system of aspect is supported by a large amount of cross-linguistic evidence. This means that languages that have a system of tense typically also have a system of aspect.

Which of the following is a statistical universal?

  1. The most common word order in the world is subject-verb-object.

  2. The most common system of tense is the three-tense system.

  3. The most common system of aspect is the perfective-imperfective system.

  4. The most common system of case is the nominative-accusative system.

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The statistical universal that the most common word order in the world is subject-verb-object is supported by a large amount of cross-linguistic evidence. This means that the majority of languages in the world have a subject-verb-object word order.

Which of the following is a diachronic universal?

  1. Languages tend to change over time.

  2. Languages tend to become more complex over time.

  3. Languages tend to become more regular over time.

  4. Languages tend to become more diverse over time.

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The diachronic universal that languages tend to change over time is supported by a large amount of evidence from historical linguistics. This means that languages are not static and they undergo changes over time.

Which of the following is a functional universal?

  1. All languages have a way to express negation.

  2. All languages have a way to express questions.

  3. All languages have a way to express commands.

  4. All languages have a way to express emotions.

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The functional universal that all languages have a way to express negation is supported by a large amount of cross-linguistic evidence. This means that all languages have some way of saying "no" or "not".

Which of the following is a cognitive universal?

  1. All languages have a concept of time.

  2. All languages have a concept of space.

  3. All languages have a concept of number.

  4. All languages have a concept of causality.

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The cognitive universal that all languages have a concept of time is supported by a large amount of cross-linguistic evidence. This means that all languages have some way of talking about the past, present, and future.

Which of the following is a sociolinguistic universal?

  1. All languages vary across different social groups.

  2. All languages are used for communication.

  3. All languages are used for identity.

  4. All languages are used for power.

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The sociolinguistic universal that all languages vary across different social groups is supported by a large amount of evidence from sociolinguistics. This means that languages are not uniform and they can vary depending on the social group that is using them.

Which of the following is a psycholinguistic universal?

  1. All languages are processed in the brain.

  2. All languages are acquired by children in a similar way.

  3. All languages are used for thought.

  4. All languages are used for communication.

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The psycholinguistic universal that all languages are processed in the brain is supported by a large amount of evidence from psycholinguistics. This means that all languages are processed by the brain in a similar way.

Which of the following is a neurolinguistic universal?

  1. All languages are represented in the brain in a similar way.

  2. All languages are acquired by children in a similar way.

  3. All languages are used for thought.

  4. All languages are used for communication.

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The neurolinguistic universal that all languages are represented in the brain in a similar way is supported by a large amount of evidence from neurolinguistics. This means that all languages are processed by the brain in a similar way.

Which of the following is a computational universal?

  1. All languages can be represented in a computer.

  2. All languages can be processed by a computer.

  3. All languages can be generated by a computer.

  4. All languages can be understood by a computer.

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The computational universal that all languages can be represented in a computer is supported by a large amount of evidence from computational linguistics. This means that all languages can be encoded in a way that can be processed by a computer.

Which of the following is a mathematical universal?

  1. All languages have a concept of number.

  2. All languages have a system of counting.

  3. All languages have a system of arithmetic.

  4. All languages have a system of geometry.

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The mathematical universal that all languages have a concept of number is supported by a large amount of cross-linguistic evidence. This means that all languages have some way of talking about numbers.

Which of the following is a logical universal?

  1. All languages have a concept of truth.

  2. All languages have a concept of falsity.

  3. All languages have a concept of contradiction.

  4. All languages have a concept of implication.

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The logical universal that all languages have a concept of truth is supported by a large amount of cross-linguistic evidence. This means that all languages have some way of talking about what is true and what is false.

Which of the following is a philosophical universal?

  1. All languages have a concept of existence.

  2. All languages have a concept of non-existence.

  3. All languages have a concept of reality.

  4. All languages have a concept of illusion.

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The philosophical universal that all languages have a concept of existence is supported by a large amount of cross-linguistic evidence. This means that all languages have some way of talking about what exists and what does not exist.

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