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Questions and Answers
How does typological classification differ from historical classification in linguistics?
How does typological classification differ from historical classification in linguistics?
- Typological classification is based on shared vocabulary, while historical classification focuses on grammatical structures.
- Typological classification is concerned with language families, while historical classification looks at universal language features.
- Typological classification groups languages by structural features, while historical classification groups them by genetic relationships. (correct)
- Typological classification examines language evolution over time, while historical classification focuses on current language use.
Which of the following is an example of markedness in sentence structure?
Which of the following is an example of markedness in sentence structure?
- Using inflectional endings to indicate tense.
- Employing a subject-verb-object (SVO) word order in English.
- Adopting a consistent word order to convey basic meaning.
- Using a passive voice construction to emphasize the object. (correct)
In the context of language, what do case markings primarily indicate?
In the context of language, what do case markings primarily indicate?
- Changes in word meaning based on context.
- The historical evolution of words over time.
- Pronunciation variations based on regional dialects.
- Grammatical relationships between words in a sentence. (correct)
Which of the following is a characteristic of analytic languages regarding morpheme usage?
Which of the following is a characteristic of analytic languages regarding morpheme usage?
What is the key feature of agglutinative languages?
What is the key feature of agglutinative languages?
If a language is described as 'polysynthetic', what does this imply about its word structure?
If a language is described as 'polysynthetic', what does this imply about its word structure?
How does understanding markedness contribute to linguistic analysis?
How does understanding markedness contribute to linguistic analysis?
What is the role of derivational morphology in language?
What is the role of derivational morphology in language?
What is the role of the animacy hierarchy in language?
What is the role of the animacy hierarchy in language?
Which word order is exemplified by the sentence, 'The oranges Jenny ate'?
Which word order is exemplified by the sentence, 'The oranges Jenny ate'?
Flashcards
Historical Classification
Historical Classification
Classification based on genetic relations and language families, examining language evolution and typological features shared within families.
Typological Classification
Typological Classification
Classification that groups languages by structural linguistic features, rather than lineage.
Grammatical Construct: Word Order
Grammatical Construct: Word Order
Word order, such as Subject-Verb-Object, in a sentence
Markedness
Markedness
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Case Markings
Case Markings
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Morpheme
Morpheme
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Free Morpheme
Free Morpheme
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Bound Morpheme
Bound Morpheme
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Analytic Language
Analytic Language
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Synthetic Language
Synthetic Language
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Study Notes
- Typology involves classifying languages.
Major Classifications of Languages
- Historical classification is based on genetic relationships and language families.
- Historical classification examines how languages have evolved.
- Languages within the same family often share typological features.
- Typological classification groups languages by structural features rather than lineage.
- Typological classification focuses on morphosyntax, phonological inventories, and universal features.
- Morphosyntax includes word order, sentence formation, and word formation rules.
- Phonological inventories include sound systems and patterns.
- Universal features include nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
Grammatical Constructs: Word Order
- Six possible word orders exist: SOV, SVO, VSO, VOS, OVS, and OSV.
- SOV languages include Japanese and Turkish.
- SVO languages include English and Chinese.
- VSO languages include Arabic and Welsh.
- VOS languages include Malagasy.
- Languages may allow less common orders for emphasis, which is termed markedness and flexibility.
- The default word order in English is SVO: "The girl kicked the ball".
- A marked word order in English is OSV: "The ball was kicked by the girl".
- Understanding markedness helps linguists analyze how languages structure information and adapt to cognitive and communicative pressures.
- Case markings indicate grammatical relationships.
- English has reduced case markings compared to Old English, which had inflectional endings.
Morphology: Study of Word Structure
- A morpheme is the smallest meaningful unit.
- Free morphemes can stand alone (e.g., run).
- Bound morphemes must attach to a root (e.g., -ing in running).
- Types of Morphology:
- Derivational morphology changes grammatical category (e.g., happy → happiness).
- Inflectional morphology adds grammatical information (e.g., run → runs).
Historical Morphological Typology
- Analytic languages have few morphemes per word (e.g., Mandarin).
- Synthetic languages have multiple morphemes per word.
- Agglutinative languages have clear morpheme boundaries (e.g., Turkish).
- Fusional languages combine multiple grammatical meanings (e.g., Spanish).
- Polysynthetic languages use many morphemes and roots in one word (e.g., West Greenlandic).
Language Universals and Hierarchies
- All languages have certain shared traits (e.g., oral vowels).
- Implicational universals suggest specific dependencies (e.g., dual forms exist only if plural forms exist).
- Animacy Hierarchy:
- Influences grammatical patterns.
- Example: Speaker > Addressee > Kin > Animate > Inanimate.
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