Sociolinguistics MCQs | English
What is meant by the term ‘Parole’?
(a) The condemnation of certain forms in a language by the majority of a social group.
(b) A language which arises from the need to communicate between two communities.
(c) A term deriving from Ferdinand de Saussure and which refers to language as it is spoken, contrast this with langue.
(d) None of A, B, and C
Question’s Answer: A term deriving from Ferdinand de Saussure and which refers to language
as it is spoken, contrast this with langue.
Sociolinguistics is:
(a) The study of human sounds.
(b) The study of how language is used in society
(c) The study of the sound system of a language or languages.
(d) The study of the structure of language without any concern for practical applications which might arise from one’s work.
Question’s Answer: The study of how language is used in society.
What is meant by the term ‘Honorific’?
(a) A specific use of language to express deference in a social context.
(b) This can encompass special pronominal forms (T- and V- forms in continental European languages) and fixed titular phrases (Mr., Mrs., Ms., etc. in English) or special adjectives (honourable, reverend, esquire).
(c) a & b
(d) None of A, B, and C
Question’s Answer: a & b
‘Interference’ means:
(a) The transfer of certain phenomena from one language to another where they arenot considered grammatical.
(b) This may happen on an individual level (during second language learning, for example)or collectively in which case it often leads to language change.
(c) a & b
(d) None of A, B, and C
Question’s Answer: a & b
What is meant by the term ‘Langue’?
(a) That part of a sentence which is the focus of interest and usually introduced at the beginning.
(b) The language of an individual as opposed to that of a group.
(c) A term used by Saussure to refer to the collective knowledge of a community of the language spoken by its members.
(d) A term applied to the new information conveyed in a sentence.
Question’s Answer: A term used by Saussure to refer to the collective knowledge of a community
of the language spoken by its members.
A person who speaks three languages fluently is most properly referred to by which of these terms?
(a) Magnalingual
(b) Extralingual
(c) Multilingual
(d) Bilingual
Question’s Answer: Multilingual
Which is NOT a dialect of English?
(a) Pennsylvania Dutch
(b) RP, or “BBC” English
(c) Gullah
(d) Boston Brahmin
Question’s Answer: Pennsylvania Dutch
“Pidgin” most closely refers to:
(a) People who speak multiple dialects
(b) A rudimentary language used primarily for business/trade interactions
(c) An extinct Native American language
(d) A language group in central Africa
Question’s Answer: A rudimentary language used primarily for business/trade interactions
English is most closely related to Which languages?
(a) Norse
(b) Frisian
(c) Latin
(d) French
Question’s Answer: Frisian
Sociolinguistics is most appropriately defined as which of these?
(a) The scientific study of languag usage
(b) The scientific study of vocal sounds
(c) The study of human behavior
(d) The study of animal vocalizations
Question’s Answer: The scientific study of languag usage
The linguistic term “code-switching” refers to Which?
(a) The use of jargon within a language in certain language
(b) A speaker’s use of more than one language, dialect or register in an utterance or interaction
(c) A type of cryptology
(d) Using a secret or exclusive circumstances
Question’s Answer: A speaker’s use of more than one language, dialect or register in an utterance or interaction
Which would NOT be considered a part of sociolinguistics?
(a) The study of the sounds in spoken language
(b) The study of the attitudes of people, towards certain speech characteristics
(c) The general perception of a dialect within a society
(d) The study of socioeconomic and/or political power factors and their influence on language change.
Question’s Answer: The study of the sounds in spoken language
Which languages was not widely spread as a result of colonialism?
(a) French
(b) Spanish
(c) Swedish
(d) English
Question’s Answer: Swedish
To what does the term “lingua franca” refer?
(a) Speaking French
(b) A dialect spoken in the Franconian region of Germany
(c) Speaking bluntly or directly
(d) A shared language primarily used for business, education or political reasons.
Question’s Answer: A shared language primarily used for business, education or political reasons.
‘Code switching’ means:
(a) Moving from one language to another within a single sentence or phrase.
(b) This is a phenomenon found among bilinguals who feel it is appropriate to change languages (or dialects in some cases) perhaps to say something which can only be said in the language switched to.
(c) Code-switching is governed by fairly strict rules concerning the points in a sentence at which one can change over.
(d) All of A, B, and C
Question’s Answer: All of A, B, and C
‘Hypercorrection’ means:
(a) A term used by Saussure to refer to the collective knowledge of a community of the language spoken by its members.
(b) The transfer of certain phenomena from one language to another where they are not considered grammatical.
(c) A kind of linguistic situation in which a speaker over generalises phenomenon a which he/she does not have in his/her native variety.
(d) None of A, B, and C
Question’s Answer: A kind of linguistic situation in which a speaker over generalises phenomenon
a which he/she does not have in his/her native variety.
What is meant by the term ‘Linguistic stigma”?
(a) The language of an individual as opposed to that of a group.
(b) The condemnation of certain forms in a language by the majority of social group.
(c) That part of a sentence which is the focus of interest and usually introduced at the beginning.
(d) A term applied to the new information conveyed in sentence.
What is meant by the term ‘Standard”?
(a) A variety of a language which by virtue of historical accident has become the leading form of the language in a certain country.
(b) As a result of this, the standard may be expanded due to the increase in function which it experiences due to its position in society.
(c) There is nothing inherently superior about standard a although nearly all speakers of a community accept that it has highest prestige.
(d) All of A, B, and C
Question’s Answer: All of A, B, and C
What is meant by the term ‘Vernacular’? Men
(a) The indigenous language or dialect of a community.
(b) This is an English term which refers to purely spoken forms of a language.
(c) a & b
(d) None of A, B, and C
Question’s Answer: a & b
What is meant by the term ‘Idiolect’?
(a) That part of a sentence which is the focus of interest and usually introduced at the beginning.
(b) The language of an individual as opposed to that of a group.
(c) A term applied to the new information conveyed in a sentence.
(d) None of A, B, and C
Question’s Answer: The language of an individual as opposed to that of a group.
‘Linguistic taboo’ means:
(a) Forbidding the use of certain forms.
(b) Taboo words change from generation to generation, e.g.
(c) The means of referring to sex and sexual practices, as older taboo words lose their strength and become part of general vocabulary.
(d) All of A, B, and C
Question’s Answer: All of A, B, and C
‘Register’ means:
(a) A style level in a language. When we speak we automatically locate ourselveson a specific stylistic level.
(b) This can vary depending on the situation in we find which ourselves.
(c) For example when talking to the postman one would most likely use a different register than when one is holding a public address.
(d) All of A, B, and C
Question’s Answer: All of A, B, and C
‘Speech community’ means:
(a) The indigenous language or dialect of a community. This is an English term which refers to purely spoken forms of a language
(b) Any identifiable and delimitable group of speakers who use a more or less unified type of language.
(c) A term referring to unconscious knowledge about his/her native language which a speaker has.
(d) None of A, B, and C
Question’s Answer: Any identifiable and delimitable group of speakers who use a more or less unified type of language