"Sue will have the apple." "Sue will halve the apple." These two sentences exhibit similar ________.
A) deep structure
B) linguistic relativity
C) surface structure
D) complex morphemes

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The two sentences have different meanings due to a difference in surface structure (one word being spelled differently), even though their deep structure (the underlying meaning) is similar. The concept of deep and surface structure is related to generative grammar, which is a theory in linguistics. Choice A, deep structure, is related to this concept. Linguistic relativity, Choice B, is the idea that language shapes our perception of the world, which is not exhibited in these sentences. Complex morphemes, Choice D, refers to words with multiple meanings or parts, which is also not relevant to the similarity between these two sentences.

"Sue Will Have the Apple