General Study Notes Quiz

A branch of the Indo-European language family that includes Lithuanian, Latvian, and several extinct languages.

Lithuanian, Latvian, Nehrungskurish, Selonian, and Semgallic. These languages are all spoken in the Eastern Baltic region.

Old Prussian, Jatvian, Galindian, and Old Kurish. These languages were all spoken in the Western Baltic region. All of these languages are extinct.

A language spoken by approximately 3 million people in Lithuania and by a significant diaspora population.

The classification of Baltic and Slavic languages as a single group. It is currently considered to be a highly controversial theory.

The Proto-Baltic community is believed to be the origin of the Baltic languages and the early Slavic languages.

The oldest scientifically usable written records of Baltic languages. It is a dictionary of Old Prussian words dating back to the 14th century.

Attempts to force the Lithuanian population to adopt Russian language and culture under Soviet rule.

A linguistic area where languages, despite having different origins, share common features due to prolonged contact and influence.

Features characteristic of Balkan languages, including postposed articles, absence of the infinitive, and a special construction for the future tense.

A way of expressing the future tense using the verb 'to want' followed by the present tense of the desired action.

Features of Albanian grammar, including two genders, five cases, and analytical comparison.

Words borrowed from Latin, Balkan languages, and Turkish.

Words borrowed from Turkish, which are often outdated but still used in informal settings.

A group of Celtic languages spoken on the islands of Britain and Ireland, further divided into the Goidelic and Britannic branches.

A group of Celtic languages spoken on the European mainland, all of which are extinct and known only through fragments and reconstructions.

Armenian possesses a complex system of grammar, involving various declensions and conjugations. Gender, case, and tense are clearly distinguished. The language also features agglutinative elements, where affixes are added to create elaborate word forms.

Armenian serves as a source of pride and identity for Armenians across the globe. This is evident in its use in important aspects of Armenian life, such as religious practices, education, literature, media, and daily communication.

While the Armenian diaspora has existed for centuries, and various historical challenges have been faced, the language continues to thrive and evolve. It acts as a bridge to Armenia's rich history and cultural heritage.

The term "non-Indo-European languages" can be problematic due to its broadness and oversimplification. It suggests a unified category without considering the diverse nature of these languages.

Labeling languages as "non-Indo-European" can imply that they are inferior, perpetuating biases and reinforcing hierarchical views on linguistic diversity. It's important to acknowledge the value and richness of all languages.

The term "non-Indo-European languages" ignores the complexity of language families and their interrelationships. Each family boasts its own unique history, culture, and linguistic significance, deserving of individual attention.

The term "non-Indo-European languages" reflects a Eurocentric perspective, prioritizing Indo-European languages. This marginalizes the contributions of other languages, failing to recognize their own rich linguistic traditions.

Euskara, also known as Basque, is a distinctive language spoken in the Basque Country, a region encompassing parts of Spain and France. Its standardized literary form is known as Euskara batua.

Turkish vowels have a symmetrical system based on 4 dimensions: height, backness, roundness and length. Length is not phonemic, and there are no diphthongs.

A phonological rule in Turkish where vowels within a word must belong to the same class (front or back) and (rounded or unrounded).

In vowel harmony, all vowels after the first syllable must match the front/back and rounded/unrounded qualities of the first vowel.

Turkish vowel harmony has two types: 4-fold harmony and 2-fold harmony. 4-fold harmony includes the vowels -i/-ı/-ü/-u, while 2-fold harmony only has front/back harmony.

Turkish language does not allow consonant clusters at the beginning of words.

Turkish is an agglutinative language where words are built by adding multiple suffixes to a base word.

Turkish morphology relies heavily on suffixes to mark grammatical functions, with each suffix representing one function.

Turkish language primarily relies on suffixes for word formation, with prefixation only used for intensive adjectives and adverbs.

The order of words in Basque sentences often follows the Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) pattern, similar to languages like Japanese or Korean.

Basque uses postpositions, which are words placed after a noun to show its relation to other words in the sentence, similar to how English uses prepositions like 'on' or 'in'.

In Basque, the genitive case, which shows possession or relationship, comes before the noun it modifies, unlike English where it typically comes after.

Relative clauses, which provide extra information about a noun, are placed before the noun they modify in Basque, unlike English where they usually follow.

Basque has been influenced by Latin and neighboring Romance languages such as Spanish, Occitan, and French, leading to the incorporation of loanwords into its vocabulary.

The 1978 Spanish Constitution serves as the legal base for language normalization in the Spanish Basque Country, ensuring the right to use and promote the Basque language.

Programs were implemented in 1989 to enhance Basque as an administrative language within the Spanish Basque Country, promoting bilingualism in public institutions.

Ikastolas, Basque language schools, have played a crucial role in Basque education, providing an alternative to regular schools, especially after the 1950s and 1960s.

Vowel harmony is a feature of Hungarian grammar where vowels in suffixes must harmonize with the last vowel of the stem. This means they must agree in terms of frontness (front vs. back) and roundness.

Hungarian has a large inventory of consonants with voiced/voiceless pairs. Whether a sound is voiced or voiceless in Hungarian is determined by the vowel of the preceding syllable.

Hungarian has a rich vowel system with seven pairs of vowels, each consisting of a short and a long vowel. In two of the pairs, the short and long vowels differ in quality as well.

Hungarian is an agglutinative language, which means words are formed by attaching multiple suffixes to a stem. These suffixes carry grammatical information like tense, case, and number.

Hungarian distinguishes between short and long vowels, and this difference in length is phonemic, meaning it changes the meaning of words.

Hungarian occupies a unique position within the Uralic language family. It lacks close relatives and shows significant differences from other Ugric languages. This is due to its extensive migrations over centuries.

The Sami Language Act designates Sami as an official language in specific municipalities in Norway. This means Sami can be used in public services and education.

In Finland, the Sami Language Act grants Sami speakers the right to use Sami languages in government services and establishes Sami as an official language in specific municipalities.