I. Directions : Read each of the following statements carefully. Decide which one of the four choices best completes the statement and put the letter A, B, C or D in the brackets. (2%×10=20%)

1. Linguistics is the scientific study of __________.

A. a particular language                B. the English language

C. human languages in general        D. the system of a particular language

2. The consonant [f] in English can be correctly described as having the following phonetic features: __________.

A. voiceless, bilabial, stop                   B. voiceless, labiodental, fricative

C. voiced, bilabial, stop                   D. voiced, labiodental, fricative

3. There are different types of affixes or morphemes. The affix “ed” in the word “l(fā)earned” is known as a(n) __________.

A. derivational morpheme              B. free morpheme

C. inflectional morpheme              D. free form

4. In the phrase structure rule “S→NP VP”, the arrow can be read as __________.

A. is equal to                              B. consists of

C. has                                        D. generates

5. “I bought some roses” __________ “I bought some flowers”.

A. entails                                    B. presupposes

C. is inconsistent with                       D. is synonymous with

6. Y’s utterance in the following conversation exchange violates the maxim of __________.

X: Who was that you were with last night?

Y: Did you know that you were wearing odd socks?

A. quality                                    B. quantity

C. relation                                    D. manner

7. Changes in a language are changes in the grammar of the speakers of the language. This means that phonemes, __________, words and grammatical rules may be borrowed, added, lost or altered.

A. phrases                                  B. sentences

C. morphemes                                    D. utterances

8. In a speech community people have something in common __________ -- a language or a particular variety of language and rules for using it.

A. socially                                   B. linguistically

C. culturally                                 D. pragmatically

9. Which of the major mental functions listed below is not under the control of the left hemisphere in most people? __________.

A. language and speech                          B. visual and spatial skills

C. reading and writing                         D. analytic reasoning

10. In general, the __________ stage begins roughly in the second half of the child’s second year.

A. babbling                                 B. one-word

C. two-word                              D. multiword

Ⅱ. Directions: Fill in the blank in each of the following statements with one word, the first letter of which is already given as a clue. Note that you are to fill in ONE word only, and you are not allowed to change the letter given. (1%×10=10%)

11. As the first step of their scientific investigation of language, linguists have to observe and collect linguistic f             before they can do anything else.

12. Phonological rules that govern the combination of sounds in a particular language are called s             rules.

13. An independent unit of meaning that can be used freely by itself is called a f___________            morpheme.

14. A c            sentence contains two clauses joined by a linking word, such as “and”, “but”, “or”.

15. The study of the linguistic meaning of words, phrases, and sentences is called s        .

16. In making conversation, the general principle that all participants are expected to observe is called the C           principle proposed by J. Grice.

17. In addition to social changes, one of the most pervasive sources of language change seems to be the continual process of cultural t            across generations.

18. Language itself is not sexist, but its use may reflect the s            attitude connoted in the language that is sexist.

19. When language and thought are identical or closely parallel to each other, we may regard thought as “s            speech,” and speech as “overt thought.” In such a case, speaking and thinking take place simultaneously.

20. I              is the language that a learner constructs at a given stage of SLA.

Ⅲ. Directions: Judge whether each of the following statements is true or false. Put a T for true or F for false in the brackets in front of each statement. If you think a statement is false , you must explain why you think so and give the correct version. (2%×10=20%)

21. (    ) An important difference between traditional grammarians and modern linguists in their study of language is that the former tended to over-emphasize the written form of language and encourage people to imitate the “best authors” for language usage.

22. (    ) In classifying the English consonants and vowels, the same criteria can be applied.

23. (    ) We can always tell by the words a compound contains what it means because the meaning of a compound is always the sum of the meanings of its parts.

24. (    ) Phrase structure rules can generate an infinite number of sentences and sentences with infinite length, due to their recursive properites.

25. (    ) The conceptualist view of meaning holds that there is no direct link between a symbol and reference, i.e. between language and thought.

26. (    ) Of the views concerning the study of semantics, the contextual view, which places the study of meaning in the context in which language is used, is often considered as the initial effort to study meaning in a pragmatic sense.

27. (    ) In first language acquisition children’s grammar models exactly after the grammar of adult language.

28. (    ) The sentences “He crazy” and “He be sick all the time” are both acceptable in Black English vernacular because copula deletion and habitual be are two famous features of Black English.

29. (    ) Speakers of different languages are capable of distinguishing and recognizing experiences of the same objective world according to their respective different linguistic coding system.

30. (    ) Instruction and correction are key factors in child language development.

Ⅳ. Directions: Explain the following terms, using one or two examples for illustration. (3%×10=30%)

31. synchronic linguistics

32. displacement

33. a minimal pair

34. derivational affixes

35. syntax

36. language transfer

37. hyponymy

38. sentence meaning

39. lingua franca

40. cerebral cortex

Ⅴ. Answer the following questions. (10%×2=20%)

41. Explain sociological triggers for language change by giving a typical example in the history of English.

42. Explain briefly the four main individual learner factors that affect a learner’s acquisition of a second language.