1.What is a free morpheme? What is a bound morpheme?
A morpheme which can be a word by itself is called a free morpheme.
A morpheme that must be attached to another one is a bound morpheme.
1.What are closed class words and open class words?
open-class word:------- a word whose membership is in principle infinite or unlimited,such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and many adverbs.
Closed-class word: ------ a word whose membership is fixed or limited. New members are not regularly added, such as pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, articles, etc.
2.What is the difference between pragmatics and semantics?
What essentially distinguishes semantics and pragmatics is whether in the study of meaning the context of use is considered. If it is not considered, the study is confined to the area of traditional semantics; if it is considered, the study is being carried out in the area of pragmatics.
3.In which two ways may consonants be classified?
In terms of manner of articulation; in terms of place of articulation.
4.What is the difference between synchronic and diachoronic linguistics.
The description of a language at some point of time in history is a synchronic study; the description of a language as it changes through time is a diachronic study. A diachronic study of language is a historical study; it studies the historical development of language over a period of time.
5.Explain the main branches of general linguistics.
Phonetics: the study of sounds
Phonology: the formation of sounds; the rules of how sounds are arranged.
Morphology: the form of words.
Syntax: the rules of the combination of words into grammatical sentences
Semantics: the study of the meaning of language.
Pragmatics: the study of language use.
6.How do you explain the following exchange of conversation by using the knowledge of
principles of conversation? Please tell us the purpose of speaker B.
A: How did the math exam go today?
B: We had a basketball match with the other class and we beat them.
This said when it is known to both A and B that it is entirely possible for B to tell A how well or hoe poorly he did in the math exam. B’s response is thus totally irrelevant to A’s question. Therefore the flouting the maxim of relation. The implication is “I don’t wish to talk about the math exam”.
7.Account for main difference between modern linguistics and traditional grammar in a brief
way.
Firstly, linguistics is descriptive while traditional grammar is prescriptive.
Secondly, modern linguistics regards the spoken language as primary, not the written. Traditional grammarians , tended to emphasize ,maybe over-emphasize, the importance of the written word.
At last, modern linguistics does not force language into a Latin-based framework.
8.Explain the similarities between Saussure’s “language and parole” and Chomsky’s
“competence and performance”.
Saussure’s langue refers to the abstract linguistic system shared by all the members of a speech community, and parole refers to the realization of langue in actual use. Chomsky defines competence as the ideal user’s knowledge of the rules of his language, and performance the actual realization of this knowledge in linguistic communication.
Similarity: both Saussure and Chomsky distinguish the abstract language system from the actual use of language. Their purpose is to single out the language system for serious study.
9.The key points of the three kinds of theories of child language acquisition.
①Traditional behaviorists view language as a kind of behavior and believe that language
learning is simply a matter of imitation and habit formation.
②An innatist view of language acquisition proposed that human beings are born with an innate
ability know as Language Acquisition Device.
③The interactionist view holds that language develops as a result of the complex interplay
between the human characteristics of child and the environment in which he grows.
