IL 2024 Unit 1 Quiz on Linguistics

What is the primary focus of linguists?

• Prescribing how language should be used

• Describing how language is used

• Promoting literacy

• Teaching writing skills

What does the term 'linguistics' refer to?

• The art of writing

• The scientific study of language

• The history of languages

• Language teaching methods

Which principle emphasizes the importance of spoken language?

• Linguistics is prescriptive

• The written language comes first

• The spoken language comes first

• Linguistics is about language improvement

Why do linguists consider writing secondary to speech?

• Writing is more complex

• Some languages exist only in spoken form

• Writing is universally understood

• Speech is less structured

What is a common misconception about dialects and languages?

• They are distinct entities

• Dialects are always mutually intelligible

• The distinction is often based on socio-political factors

• Languages have no dialects

How many vowel phonemes (monophthongs and diphthongs) are there in Received Pronunciation (RP)?

• 5

• 6

• 20

• 26

What does the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) provide?

• A guide for writing essays

• A means to transcribe sounds accurately

• A list of vocabulary

• Grammar rules

Which of the following is an example of a prescriptive rule?

• "He hasn't got none" is ungrammatical

• Language changes over time

• People speak differently

• All languages are equal

What is the main issue with prescriptive judgments about language?

• They are always correct

• They reflect social biases rather than linguistic facts

• They help improve language skills

• They are based on scientific research

From the perspective of a linguist: What is a double negative?

• A grammatical error

• A common feature in many languages

• A rule in standard English

• A way to emphasize a statement