Linguistics Revision

Which of the following statements about the linguistic sign according to Saussure is false?

• It's psychic

• It relates a concept with an object

• It's made up of the signifier and the signified?

• It relates a concept with its acoustic image

Which of the following dichotomies was NOT discussed by Saussure?

• diachrony - synchrony

• signifier - signified

• i-language and e-language

• langue - performance

When did Chomsky publish Syntactic Structures?

• 1951

• 1957

• 1959

• 1961

Answer explanation

...and so many colourless green ideas have been furiously sleeping ever since.

When was Saussure's Course in General Linguistics published?

• 1912

• 1914

• 1916

• 1920

Answer explanation

Remember Course... was based on notes on Saussure's lectures and was published by two of his students. He had passed away in 1913.

What is Chomsky referring to in this quote?

• I-language and e-language

• principles and parameters

• Competence and performance

• learning vs. acquisition

Which of the following statements about langue is false?

• It's homogeneous

• it's individual and wilful

• it's a social convention

• it's possible to be systematised

Chomsky's definition of competence redefines Saussure's definition of...

• langage

• parole

• langue

• synchrony

Plato's problem is...

• How do we know so much given the poor evidence?

• How can children learn a L without help in 6 years?

• How do we know little with so much?

• How do we know so much given the overwhelming evidence?

Which of the following components is central in Chomsky's architecture of grammar?

• The PF

• The Lexicon

• The LF

• Syntax

Answer explanation

His 1957 book should give you a hint ;)

The strong version of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis establishes that...

• the language we use determines our behaviour

• language and thought are related

• our behaviour determines our language

• language determines thought and behaviour