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Unveiling the Mysteries of Language Universals

Description: Unveiling the Mysteries of Language Universals
Number of Questions: 15
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Tags: language universals linguistics language acquisition
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What is the term used to describe the idea that all languages share certain fundamental properties?

  1. Language Universals

  2. Language Commonalities

  3. Language Similarities

  4. Language Patterns

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Language Universals refer to the shared characteristics and principles that are common to all human languages.

Which of the following is NOT a proposed language universal?

  1. The existence of nouns and verbs

  2. The use of a subject-verb-object word order

  3. The presence of a dual number

  4. The use of a question mark

Show answer
Correct Option: D
Explanation:

The use of a question mark is not a language universal, as some languages do not have a dedicated symbol for marking questions.

What is the term used to describe the idea that all languages have a system of sounds that are used to convey meaning?

  1. Phonology

  2. Phonetics

  3. Morphology

  4. Syntax

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Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Phonology is the study of the sound system of a language, including the rules for how sounds are produced and combined.

Which of the following is NOT a proposed phonological universal?

  1. All languages have vowels and consonants

  2. All languages have a limited number of phonemes

  3. All languages have a system of stress

  4. All languages have a system of intonation

Show answer
Correct Option: D
Explanation:

The presence of a system of intonation is not a phonological universal, as some languages do not have a distinct system of intonation.

What is the term used to describe the idea that all languages have a system of words that are used to convey meaning?

  1. Morphology

  2. Syntax

  3. Semantics

  4. Pragmatics

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Morphology is the study of the structure of words, including the rules for how words are formed and combined.

Which of the following is NOT a proposed morphological universal?

  1. All languages have nouns and verbs

  2. All languages have a system of inflection

  3. All languages have a system of derivation

  4. All languages have a system of compounding

Show answer
Correct Option: B
Explanation:

The presence of a system of inflection is not a morphological universal, as some languages do not have a distinct system of inflection.

What is the term used to describe the idea that all languages have a system of rules that govern how words are combined to form sentences?

  1. Syntax

  2. Semantics

  3. Pragmatics

  4. Discourse Analysis

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Syntax is the study of the rules that govern the structure of sentences, including the order of words and phrases.

Which of the following is NOT a proposed syntactic universal?

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

  2. All languages have a system of tense and aspect

  3. All languages have a system of mood and modality

  4. All languages have a system of negation

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The presence of a subject-verb-object word order is not a syntactic universal, as some languages have a different default word order.

What is the term used to describe the idea that all languages have a system of rules that govern how language is used in social contexts?

  1. Semantics

  2. Pragmatics

  3. Discourse Analysis

  4. Sociolinguistics

Show answer
Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Pragmatics is the study of the rules that govern how language is used in social contexts, including the rules for how to take turns in conversation and how to interpret indirect speech acts.

Which of the following is NOT a proposed pragmatic universal?

  1. All languages have a system of politeness

  2. All languages have a system of deixis

  3. All languages have a system of presupposition

  4. All languages have a system of implicature

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The presence of a system of politeness is not a pragmatic universal, as some languages do not have a distinct system of politeness.

What is the term used to describe the idea that all languages have a system of rules that govern how language is used to create and maintain social relationships?

  1. Discourse Analysis

  2. Sociolinguistics

  3. Anthropological Linguistics

  4. Interactional Linguistics

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Discourse Analysis is the study of the rules that govern how language is used to create and maintain social relationships, including the rules for how to tell stories and how to negotiate.

Which of the following is NOT a proposed discourse analysis universal?

  1. All languages have a system of turn-taking

  2. All languages have a system of topic management

  3. All languages have a system of repair

  4. All languages have a system of coherence and cohesion

Show answer
Correct Option: D
Explanation:

The presence of a system of coherence and cohesion is not a discourse analysis universal, as some languages do not have a distinct system of coherence and cohesion.

What is the term used to describe the idea that all languages have a system of rules that govern how language is used to express emotions and attitudes?

  1. Stylistics

  2. Rhetoric

  3. Poetics

  4. Discourse Analysis

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Stylistics is the study of the rules that govern how language is used to express emotions and attitudes, including the rules for how to use figurative language and how to create different styles of writing.

Which of the following is NOT a proposed stylistics universal?

  1. All languages have a system of metaphor

  2. All languages have a system of metonymy

  3. All languages have a system of irony

  4. All languages have a system of sarcasm

Show answer
Correct Option: D
Explanation:

The presence of a system of sarcasm is not a stylistics universal, as some languages do not have a distinct system of sarcasm.

What is the term used to describe the idea that all languages have a system of rules that govern how language is used to communicate information?

  1. Information Theory

  2. Communication Theory

  3. Discourse Analysis

  4. Pragmatics

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Information Theory is the study of the rules that govern how language is used to communicate information, including the rules for how to encode and decode information.

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