Linguistics Questions

Which of the following is NOT implied by the textbook's discussion of mutilated lemons and perfect counterfeits?A An object can be in a category even if it has no resemblance to the category's prototype.B An object can be excluded from a category even if it has a strong resemblance to the category's prototype.C The history of an object is sometimes crucial in determining its category membership.D Participants are unable to separate their judgments about category membership from their judgments about typicality.

The process of "slicing" the stream of speech into successive syllables or words is called

To produce some sounds, the flow of air out of the lungs is interrupted by the lips; for other sounds, the flow is disrupted by the placement of the tongue and teeth. This feature of sound production is referred to as

For fluent speakers of a language, rules of the language such as how to create new words are often

Which of the following benefits does a hierarchical network provide?AInformation can be searched for equally quickly across all levels of the network.BIt is efficient because information is stored only once.CInformation is stored repeatedly to ensure accuracy.DInformation is organized according to use, so that more common representations can be accessed more quickly.

Participant M speaks a language with a variety of color words, while Participant Q speaks a language that only differentiates between light and dark. Who is more likely to have more specific color discrimination?

The plural for the word "pill" is pronounced with a "z" sound (it is pronounced "pillz"), but the plural for "pit" is pronounced with an "s" sound ("pits"). This contrast is governed by a rule of

***Barbara is 6 years old and has normal intelligence and muscle control, but she has a hard time understanding and producing language. She likely has

In some cases factors outside the language (e.g., the setting in which a sentence occurs) can help us understand garden-path sentences. These factors are referred to as:

Unlike other forms of animal communication, human communication includes

Bob does very well on all of his English papers and is praised for his skilled writing. However, when he is around his friends he says things like "ain't" and "like" often, though his sentences are still grammatical. When writing he is following ________, while when speaking he is following ________.

***Marcus is talking on the phone to his mother when a garbage truck drives by. As a result, he is unable to hear what his mom is saying for a few seconds. Which of the following is LEAST likely to help him figure out what his mother said?

***Which of the following is NOT consistent with the idea that children learn language even if their communication with adults is not linguistic?

The perception of speech is made easier by all of the following EXCEPT thata. there is impressively little variation from one speaker to the next. b. the content of the speech we hear is often predictable on the basis of knowledge external to language.c. most of the speech we hear employs a relatively small number of words, used over and over again.d. the content of the speech we hear is often predictable because of the rules guiding which sounds go together.

***Which of the following is NOT a principle that guides sentence parsing?a. Decisions about the parsing of individual words are not made until the entire sentence has been heard.b. The semantics of the sentence are used as an aid in determining the source of the action and the recipient.c. In general, we assume that the sentences we hear will be in the active, not passive, voice.d. Parsing makes use of the small function words (e.g., "that" and "which") to identify the sentence's phrase structure.

Maxine has sustained brain damage to her left temporal lobe, which influences her ability to categorize efficiently. Which of the following is most likely to describe the problems that Maxine will face?AShe will not be able to categorize objects ever again.BShe will lose the ability to discriminate some categories but others will remain unaffected.CShe will be able to name objects but not be able to describe what the function of the object is.DShe will be able to name fruits but not be able to name vegetables.

You are flipping through channels when you come upon a French-speaking station. You do not speak French and you are amazed at how quickly it is spoken. Which of the following factors is most important to your perception?

***Rules that describe the proper way to speak, or the way language is supposed to be, are called

In speaking, the pattern of pauses and the rise and fall of pitch are technically referred to as

In one study of sentence parsing, electroencephalogram (EEG) was used to record electrical activity when participants heard sentences that were either correct, had a semantic anomaly, or had a statement that contained false information. The evidence from that study suggests that