Question 1

Dr. Doolittle is studying the order in which children around the world learn to make the speech sounds used in their native languages, to see if there are common patterns. Dr. Doolittle's approach to the analysis of language is at the level of

Accepted Answer

Dr. Doolittle is studying the order in which children learn to make speech sounds, which is at the level of phonemes (individual speech sounds).

Question 2

The level of analysis of language that focuses on how words are combined to form sentences is called

Accepted Answer

Syntax is the level of analysis of language that focuses on how words are combined to form sentences. Morphemes refer to the smallest units of meaning in a language, phonemes refer to the individual sounds in a language, and extralinguistic factors refer to nonverbal cues and context that can affect the interpretation of language.

Question 3

Language is

Accepted Answer

Language is a symbolic system of communication, as it involves using arbitrary symbols (words) to represent ideas, objects, and actions.

Question 4

The level of analysis of language that focuses on the sounds people use when then speak and listen is called

Accepted Answer

Phonemes refer to the individual sounds that make up language, whereas morphemes refer to the smallest units of meaning in a language, syntax refers to the rules for combining words and phrases to form sentences, and semantics refers to the meaning of words and sentences.

Question 5

In the English language, we typically add the suffix 'ed' at the end of words to indicate the past tense. What aspect of syntax is this?

Accepted Answer

The addition of the suffix 'ed' to indicate past tense is a morphological marker, which is a type of suffix that attaches to the root word to add meaning or change the part of speech. It is not a stand-alone word or a rule, but rather a specific element of morphology.

Question 6

As symbolic systems of communication, most languages

Accepted Answer

Most of the time, there is no natural or logical connection between the sound or spelling of a word and its meaning in a language. This means that the meaning is often arbitrary or based on convention.

Question 7

Much of our language uses arbitrary symbols What does this mean?

Accepted Answer

Arbitrary symbols in language refer to how words are assigned to represent objects, actions, and ideas without any inherent connection to their meaning. For example, the word "apple" could have been assigned to represent a banana instead. This means that the word assigned to represent an item could be anything and is not based on any inherent connection to the item.

Question 8

Evidence from brain imaging studies reveals that visual areas of the brain are active when we think about objects and motor areas are active when we think about actions. Which model of the mind does this evidence support?

Accepted Answer

The evidence that visual areas of the brain are active when we think about objects and motor areas are active when we think about actions supports embodiment models, which propose that cognition is grounded in the sensorimotor experiences of the body.

Question 9

Phonemes are

Accepted Answer

Phonemes are the basic units of sound in language. They are the smallest units of sound that can change the meaning of a word. For example, the /b/ and /p/ sounds in "bat" and "pat" are different phonemes, which is why they create different words with different meanings.

Question 10

Carl is reading the newspaper and laughs when he sees the headline "Thief Gets Nine Months in Violin Case." From the perspective of language, Carl most likely finds this humorous because the phrase or headline

Accepted Answer

The humor arises from the ambiguity of "in Violin Case," which can be interpreted as the thief being sentenced to nine months in jail or literally spending nine months inside a violin case. This double meaning creates the comedic effect.

Question 11

What are the basic units of sound that compose the words in a language?

Accepted Answer

The basic units of sound that compose the words in a language are phonemes, which are distinct sound units that can change the meaning of a word (e.g. /b/ and /p/ are different phonemes that distinguish words like "bat" and "pat"). Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a language, while syntax refers to the rules governing the structure of sentences. Extralinguistic information refers to nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions and body language, that can convey meaning alongside language but are not part of the linguistic system.

Question 12

According to __________, our knowledge is organized and accessed in a manner that enables us to simulate our actual experiences.

Accepted Answer

Embodiment models propose that our knowledge is organized based on our sensory and motor experiences, and that we simulate these experiences when accessing and using our knowledge.

Question 13

The level of analysis of language that focuses on the smallest units of meaningful speech is called

Accepted Answer

Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a language, such as prefixes, suffixes, and root words. Phonemes, on the other hand, are the smallest units of sound in a language. Syntax refers to the rules governing the structure of sentences. Extralinguistic factors are those that influence communication but are not directly related to language, such as tone of voice and body language.

Question 14

Consider the English word "rereading." Which of these is one phoneme in that word?

Accepted Answer

The sound /r/ is one phoneme in the word "rereading." The other options are either two phonemes ("ing" and "rea") or a combination of phonemes and a morpheme ("re").

Question 15

Which term is used for the sounds of our language, which are loosely associated with the letters in our alphabet?

Accepted Answer

Phonemes refer to the smallest unit of sound in a language that can change the meaning of a word, such as the difference between the /p/ sound in "pat" and the /b/ sound in "bat". Phonemes are loosely associated with the letters in our alphabet, but multiple letters can represent the same phoneme (such as /k/ in "cat" and "kite"). Morphemes refer to the smallest units of meaning in a language (such as "un-" meaning "not" and "-able" meaning "capable of"), syntax refers to the rules for creating sentences and phrases in a language, and extralinguistic information refers to nonverbal cues and context that aid in communication.

Question 16

Consider the English word "rereading." Which of these is one morpheme in that word?

Accepted Answer

"re" is a prefix that means "again" or "backward." It is added to the beginning of "reading" to make the word "rereading." The suffix "-ing" indicates that the word is a present participle, indicating ongoing action. None of the other options are single morphemes within the word.

Question 17

Which level of language analysis would focus on body language or facial expression?

Accepted Answer

Extralinguistic analysis focuses on non-verbal communication, such as body language and facial expressions, that provide additional meaning beyond the words being spoken or written. Phonemes, morphemes, and syntax are all aspects of the verbal aspect of language.

Question 18

Camilla is learning French. She knows a lot of French words, but struggles to have a conversation because the word order is different than English and she gets confused. Which aspect of the language is difficult for Camilla?

Accepted Answer

Syntax refers to the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. Camilla's struggle with the word order suggests that she has difficulty with syntax in French. Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a language, phonemes are the smallest units of sound, and extralinguistic information refers to nonverbal cues and context outside of language. These are not the aspects of French that Camilla is struggling with.

Question 19

The smallest units of speech that contain meaning are called

Accepted Answer

Morphemes are the smallest units of speech that contain meaning. Phonemes, on the other hand, are the smallest units of sound in a language, while syntax refers to the rules governing the structure of sentences. Anomias are a type of language disorder characterized by difficulties retrieving words.

Question 20

Sentences such as "Include children when baking cookies" may strike us as funny. From the perspective of language, this is because the phrase or headline

Accepted Answer

The sentence has ambiguous syntax because it is unclear whether the intended meaning is to have children assist in the baking process or to have them as an ingredient in the cookies.

Quiz 8: Thinking, Reasoning, and Language