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A college graduate is estimated to know about 60,000 words.
A college graduate is estimated to know about 60,000 words.
False
Content words are words that denote concepts like objects and actions.
Content words are words that denote concepts like objects and actions.
True
Aristophanes was a prominent linguist in the 20th century.
Aristophanes was a prominent linguist in the 20th century.
False
The phrase 'Thecatsatonthemat' illustrates the difficulty of segmenting spoken language for non-speakers.
The phrase 'Thecatsatonthemat' illustrates the difficulty of segmenting spoken language for non-speakers.
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Function words refer to essential concepts such as actions and attributes.
Function words refer to essential concepts such as actions and attributes.
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Most speakers of a language know all the words contained in an unabridged dictionary.
Most speakers of a language know all the words contained in an unabridged dictionary.
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A speaker of English can easily segment the sounds in the sequence that represents five individual words: 'the', 'cat', 'sat', 'on', 'the', and 'mat'.
A speaker of English can easily segment the sounds in the sequence that represents five individual words: 'the', 'cat', 'sat', 'on', 'the', and 'mat'.
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Children at the age of six are estimated to know about 30,000 words.
Children at the age of six are estimated to know about 30,000 words.
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Content words are sometimes referred to as closed class words.
Content words are sometimes referred to as closed class words.
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Function words include conjunctions such as and, or, and but.
Function words include conjunctions such as and, or, and but.
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Morphemes can consist of both single sounds and multiple syllables.
Morphemes can consist of both single sounds and multiple syllables.
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The term 'morphology' refers to the study of the external structure of sentences.
The term 'morphology' refers to the study of the external structure of sentences.
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Bound morphemes can stand alone as independent words.
Bound morphemes can stand alone as independent words.
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An example of a bound morpheme is the suffix '-ify'.
An example of a bound morpheme is the suffix '-ify'.
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Function words are characterized by having clear lexical meanings.
Function words are characterized by having clear lexical meanings.
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Morphemes function as the minimal units of grammatical form.
Morphemes function as the minimal units of grammatical form.
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The addition of -ify to pure creates the word 'purification' which means 'to make pure.'
The addition of -ify to pure creates the word 'purification' which means 'to make pure.'
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Free morphemes can stand alone as words and are known as content words.
Free morphemes can stand alone as words and are known as content words.
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The addition of -able to desire changes it into a verb.
The addition of -able to desire changes it into a verb.
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Inflectional morphemes change the grammatical category of the words to which they are attached.
Inflectional morphemes change the grammatical category of the words to which they are attached.
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The plural form of the noun 'fox' follows the regular inflectional rules of English.
The plural form of the noun 'fox' follows the regular inflectional rules of English.
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The sentence structure in English typically consists of a Verb Phrase followed by a Noun Phrase.
The sentence structure in English typically consists of a Verb Phrase followed by a Noun Phrase.
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Suppletive exceptions refer to irregular forms of verbs or nouns that deviate from standard inflection rules.
Suppletive exceptions refer to irregular forms of verbs or nouns that deviate from standard inflection rules.
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Not every sequence of words constitutes a grammatically correct sentence.
Not every sequence of words constitutes a grammatically correct sentence.
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Sentences that violate the syntactic rules of a language are considered well formed.
Sentences that violate the syntactic rules of a language are considered well formed.
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Phrase structure trees illustrate the hierarchical structure of syntactic categories.
Phrase structure trees illustrate the hierarchical structure of syntactic categories.
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The head of a Verb Phrase is the noun.
The head of a Verb Phrase is the noun.
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Ambiguity in expressions can often contribute to humor in jokes.
Ambiguity in expressions can often contribute to humor in jokes.
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Syntactic Categories are interchangeable without loss of grammaticality.
Syntactic Categories are interchangeable without loss of grammaticality.
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Morphemes cannot be categorized into bound and free types.
Morphemes cannot be categorized into bound and free types.
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Complements are optional elements that enhance the meaning of the head.
Complements are optional elements that enhance the meaning of the head.
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Grammaticality is determined solely by the length of a sentence.
Grammaticality is determined solely by the length of a sentence.
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A sentence is grammatical if it is meaningful.
A sentence is grammatical if it is meaningful.
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All human languages possess both morphology and syntax.
All human languages possess both morphology and syntax.
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Compounds in language can often reveal predictable meanings based on their parts.
Compounds in language can often reveal predictable meanings based on their parts.
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Syntax only helps in understanding the structure of sentences.
Syntax only helps in understanding the structure of sentences.
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Pullet Surprises refer to successful language learning techniques.
Pullet Surprises refer to successful language learning techniques.
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Study Notes
Morphology: The Words of Language
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Speakers of any language have tens of thousands of words.
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Unabridged dictionaries have nearly 500,000 entries.
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Children of about six years old know around 13,000 words, while high school graduates usually know around 60,000.
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College graduates typically know more.
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Vocabulary grows throughout life.
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Words are a vital part of language knowledge. Words are a component of mental grammars.
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Comprehending a language necessitates more than just knowing its words.
Content Words and Function Words
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Content words (e.g., nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) denote concepts and ideas.
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New words are frequently added to content words.
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Function words (e.g., conjunctions like "and, or, but"; prepositions like "in, of"; articles like "the, a/an"; pronouns like "it") specify grammatical relations.
Morphemes: The Minimal Units of Meaning
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Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in language.
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Words can contain multiple morphemes.
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Prefixes and suffixes are examples of morphemes. The prefix "un-" often means "not."
Bound and Free Morphemes
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Free morphemes can stand alone as words (e.g., "cat").
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Bound morphemes cannot stand alone as words (e.g., "-s" in "cats").
Rules of Word Formation
- Affixes (prefixes and suffixes) are added to roots to create new words and change their parts of speech.
Derivational Morphology
- Derivational morphemes create derived words with a new or subtle meaning. These can change the part of speech.
Inflectional Morphology
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Inflectional morphemes modify words and add grammatical meaning, like indicating tense or plural form. They do not alter the part of speech.
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Inflectional morphemes are usually added on the ends of verbs and nouns to express these grammatical relationships, for example, (third person, present tense).
Syntax: The Sentence Patterns of Language
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Speakers of any language can produce and understand limitless amounts of sentences.
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The order of words affects meaning.
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Sentences are made of components with meaning (constituents).
Sentence Components
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Word order is vital within sentences.
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Syntactic categories like Noun Phrases (NP) and Verb Phrases (VP) define sentence structure.
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Description
Explore the fundamentals of morphology, including the distinction between content and function words, as well as the role of morphemes in language. This quiz delves into the significance of words in both language comprehension and mental grammar. Test your knowledge of the building blocks of language!
