Linguistics Chapter 1 There Have Been Three Grammars Written The Language Quechua Grammar Here Refers

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14 • PART 2 Answer Key

Review, Practice, and Explore – Chapter 1

1.1

Onomatopoeia and Arbitrariness

One of Hockett’s design features of language is arbitrariness. Arbitrary signs or symbols have no

connection to what they represent. In language, the connection between words and meanings is ar-

bitrary, which is illustrated by the fact that different languages have different words for the same

concept (‘horse’ is cheval in French and Pferd in German). What about onomatopoeia? Think about

words like buzz and woof. Is the connection between these words arbitrary or not? Look up some ex-

amples from other languages. What do such examples tell you about onomatopoeia and arbitrariness?

1.2

Sign Systems

Investigate some of the different sign systems that we use other than language. Examples are traffic

signs, Morse code, and the hand signals referees and umpires make at sports events. These systems

can sometimes be quite complex. What design features do they have, and how are they similar to or

different from the human language system?

Answers will vary.

1.3

Prairie Dog Language

Researcher Con Slobodchikoff of Northern Arizona University has studied prairie dogs for more

than 20 years and concluded that their communication system has many of the same features as

human language. According to Slobodchikoff (1998), prairie dogs have different barks (“nouns”) for

different predators, and they combine these “words” with other sounds, or “modifiers,” that indicate

size, color, and other features. He also claims that prairie dogs coin new “words” by assigning new

Answers will vary.

1.7

Is That Ungrammatical?

Which of the following sentences are ungrammatical in terms of your descriptive grammar and

which are ungrammatical in terms of prescriptive grammar? Briey explain why you analyzed each

sentence the way you did.

a. Rosie a beautiful pony is.

b. Maurice and me are going to the movies tonight.

c. John put the book.

d. All the tulips are coming up in the garden.

e. The all tulips are coming up in the garden.

f. Purple big pillows were on her bed.

g. I don’t have no idea.

h. Who did you talk to?

i. I saw a cat climb up tree.

j. I have drank six glasses of water in a row.

The ones that are ungrammatical in any dialect are marked with an asterisk, *. The

others may be acceptable in some dialects, though they violate some prescriptive rules

of usage or formal style (given in parentheses):

1.8

Correct According to Who or Whom?

All of us can probably remember when someone corrected our language, and many of us can also

probably think of examples where we have corrected someone else’s language. Sometimes this cor–

rection can lead to modification; we adopt the “new” form in order to be more socially acceptable.

What is a rule of grammar that you have learned is the correct or proper way to say something but

that you do not always (or ever) use in speaking? For example, you may have learned that It’s me

Review, Practice, and Explore – Chapter 1 • 17

is incorrect, and the correct form is It is I; however, you may use me anyway, and I sounds odd to

you. Have you modified your speech to say It is I? Who corrected you? How would you respond to

someone who tells you that your way of speaking is wrong? Write a short paragraph on the language

authorities in your life and what modifications you’ve made (or not made).

Answers will vary.

1.9 Language in Different Places

The following sentences are grammatical in some variety of English but perhaps not in yours. Do

you recognize each as English? Why or why not?

a. He is joking only. (Indian English)

b. Those cats were just a-playing. (Appalachian [American] English)

c. They might could make a deal. (Southeastern American English)

1.10

Language in Different Times

Below are some examples of varieties of English that are no longer spoken but are the ancestors of

Present-Day English. Do you recognize each variety as English? Why or why not? Which sentences

are “older” than the others? Try to put them in order, and explain why you ordered them the way

you did. (An answer key is at the end of this “Review, Practice, and Explore” section.)

a. Untill you had gave me an account of what you had Cutt . . .

18 • PART 2 Answer Key

Answers:

Old English (from the OE Heptateuch): c, h

Middle English (from Chaucer’s Second Nun’s Tale): b, d, e

Early Modern English: a, f, g

1.11 Sign Language versus Body Language

Find at least four examples of arbitrary signs in American Sign Language or another sign language

of your choice. Also find a few examples of nonarbitrary signs. What are some grammatical features

of the sign language you are researching? How do your examples illustrate the difference between

sign language and body language?

1.12

Linguistic Competence and Linguistic Performance

Record 2 to 5 minutes of casual conversation among friends or family members. (You must by law

have their permission to do so. However, try to make the recording as unobtrusive as possible—you

don’t want their speech to be stilted or formal as a result of the taping. So tell them you’re taping them

but then try to get them to forget about it.) Now transcribe the tape, writing down everything that was

said, including ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’, false starts, and other features. (Please leave out names and other iden-

tifying characteristics.) You will likely find that the speaker very rarely uses complete sentences. What

does this simple exercise tell you about the distinction between competence and performance?

Answers will vary.

1.13

Language Myths and Stereotypes

Learning more about language allows us to recognize misperceptions about language when we hear

them. While some “language myths” are rather benign, some can be very discriminatory. Based on

what you’ve learned in this chapter, choose four of the following language myths (none of the state-

ments below is true) and explain why they are misperceptions. Why do you think such mispercep-

tions persist? Try to explain.

a. Some languages have no grammar.

b. French is much more romantic than German.

c. English descended from Latin.

d. Aborigines speak a primitive language.

e. Teenagers are ruining the English language.