Linguistics

1. Linguistics is the scientific study of:
(A) Language and its structure
(B) Literature only
(C) Symbols in art
(D) Communication in animals only

2. The smallest unit of sound in a language is called a:
(A) Phoneme
(B) Morpheme
(C) Grapheme
(D) Lexeme

3. The smallest meaningful unit of a language is a:
(A) Morpheme
(B) Phoneme
(C) Syllable
(D) Clause

4. The study of word formation and structure is known as:
(A) Morphology
(B) Syntax
(C) Phonology
(D) Semantics

5. Syntax is the study of:
(A) Sentence structure and rules
(B) Sound systems
(C) Word meanings
(D) Writing systems

6. Semantics is concerned with:
(A) Meaning of words and sentences
(B) Sound patterns
(C) Speech organs
(D) Language history

7. Pragmatics studies:
(A) How context influences meaning
(B) Word sound systems
(C) Syntax rules
(D) Writing systems

8. Phonology is the study of:
(A) Systematic organization of sounds
(B) Meaning of words
(C) Syntax rules
(D) Writing systems

9. The physical study of speech sounds is called:
(A) Phonetics
(B) Semantics
(C) Morphology
(D) Pragmatics

10. A lexicon refers to:
(A) The vocabulary of a language
(B) Sentence structure
(C) Sound patterns
(D) Grammar rules

11. Ferdinand de Saussure is known as the father of:
(A) Modern linguistics
(B) Comparative literature
(C) Ancient grammar
(D) Structural anthropology

12. Saussure distinguished between:
(A) Langue and parole
(B) Syntax and semantics
(C) Phonetics and phonology
(D) Morphemes and lexemes

13. Noam Chomsky is famous for developing:
(A) Generative grammar
(B) Structural anthropology
(C) Pragmatics theory
(D) Phonetic transcription

14. Generative grammar explains:
(A) The innate rules underlying sentence formation
(B) Only spoken language
(C) Speech sounds
(D) Word etymology

15. The Sapir–Whorf hypothesis is also called:
(A) Linguistic relativity
(B) Structuralism
(C) Universal grammar
(D) Comparative linguistics

16. The Sapir–Whorf hypothesis suggests:
(A) Language influences thought and perception
(B) Grammar is universal
(C) Words are arbitrary
(D) Sounds define meaning

17. Sociolinguistics studies:
(A) The relationship between language and society
(B) Sentence rules
(C) Historical language change only
(D) Writing systems

18. Psycholinguistics deals with:
(A) Language processing in the brain
(B) Comparative grammar
(C) Writing systems
(D) Etymology

19. Historical linguistics studies:
(A) The development and change of languages over time
(B) Language sounds only
(C) Sentence patterns
(D) Writing codes

20. Applied linguistics is concerned with:
(A) Practical applications of language studies, such as language teaching
(B) Sentence structure
(C) Etymology
(D) Phonology only

21. The IPA stands for:
(A) International Phonetic Alphabet
(B) International Pragmatics Association
(C) Institute of Phonology in Asia
(D) International Pedagogic Analysis

22. The IPA is used for:
(A) Transcribing speech sounds accurately
(B) Teaching grammar
(C) Word etymology
(D) Syntax analysis

23. A dialect is:
(A) A regional or social variety of a language
(B) A completely different language
(C) A phoneme system
(D) A writing code

24. Code-switching refers to:
(A) Shifting between languages or dialects in conversation
(B) Translating texts
(C) Writing grammar codes
(D) Sound substitution

25. A pidgin language develops when:
(A) Speakers of different languages need a simplified communication system
(B) A language evolves historically
(C) Grammar is standardized
(D) Languages die out

26. A creole develops when:
(A) A pidgin becomes a fully developed native language
(B) A dialect standardizes
(C) Writing evolves
(D) Grammar disappears

27. Etymology is the study of:
(A) The origin and history of words
(B) Sound structures
(C) Sentence rules
(D) Semantics

28. Bilingualism refers to:
(A) Fluency in two languages
(B) Dialect switching
(C) Grammar evolution
(D) Phonological variation

29. Multilingualism refers to:
(A) Ability to use multiple languages
(B) Dialect mixing
(C) Code-switching
(D) Morphological rules

30. A phonetic transcription represents:
(A) The actual sounds of speech
(B) Word meanings
(C) Grammar rules
(D) Writing systems

31. Minimal pairs in linguistics differ in:
(A) Only one sound
(B) Meaning alone
(C) Writing system
(D) Syntax

32. Language acquisition in children is studied under:
(A) First language acquisition
(B) Historical linguistics
(C) Morphology
(D) Pragmatics

33. Second language acquisition studies:
(A) How people learn additional languages after their mother tongue
(B) Dialect change
(C) Code-switching
(D) Writing rules

34. Chomsky proposed the existence of:
(A) Universal grammar
(B) Pidgin languages
(C) Sound symbolism
(D) Pragmatics rules

35. Universal grammar is:
(A) An innate set of language rules shared across humans
(B) A common world language
(C) A writing system
(D) A phonetic system

36. Descriptive linguistics focuses on:
(A) How language is actually used
(B) How language should be used
(C) Literary style
(D) Historical writing

37. Prescriptive linguistics focuses on:
(A) Rules of how language should be used
(B) Language as spoken
(C) Pragmatic meaning
(D) Dialect evolution

38. Structural linguistics was pioneered by:
(A) Ferdinand de Saussure
(B) Noam Chomsky
(C) John Searle
(D) Daniel Dennett

39. Transformational grammar was introduced by:
(A) Noam Chomsky
(B) Ferdinand de Saussure
(C) Wilhelm Wundt
(D) Edward Sapir

40. Pragmatic meaning includes:
(A) Contextual usage of language
(B) Sentence syntax
(C) Historical grammar
(D) Sound transcription

41. The study of meaning change in words over time is called:
(A) Semantics (historical)
(B) Pragmatics
(C) Phonetics
(D) Syntax

42. Language families group languages according to:
(A) Common historical origins
(B) Dialect variation
(C) Syntax similarity only
(D) Phonetic transcription

43. The Indo-European family includes languages such as:
(A) English, Hindi, and Persian
(B) Chinese and Japanese
(C) Arabic and Hebrew
(D) Swahili and Zulu

44. The Afro-Asiatic language family includes:
(A) Arabic and Hebrew
(B) English and French
(C) Hindi and Bengali
(D) Russian and Polish

45. Computational linguistics applies:
(A) Computer models to language analysis and processing
(B) Only historical methods
(C) Phonetic transcription
(D) Dialect studies

46. Neurolinguistics investigates:
(A) How language is represented in the brain
(B) Historical change of languages
(C) Word etymology
(D) Sound systems

47. Language death occurs when:
(A) A language is no longer spoken by any community
(B) A dialect evolves
(C) Grammar is forgotten
(D) Phonemes change

48. A lingua franca is:
(A) A common language used for communication between speakers of different native languages
(B) A dialect
(C) A phoneme system
(D) A writing script

49. The study of signs and symbols in communication is:
(A) Semiotics
(B) Syntax
(C) Morphology
(D) Semantics

50. Pragmatics emphasizes that meaning depends on:
(A) Context, speaker intention, and shared knowledge
(B) Word sounds alone
(C) Syntax rules
(D) Historical etymology