Here are some important questions from George Yule’s The Study of Language (Fifth Edition),

along with concise answers tailored for M.A. studies. Let me know if you’d like deeper
explanations for any of these topics!

1. What are the key properties of human language?

•Arbitrariness: No inherent connection between words and their meanings.

•Displacement: Ability to talk about things not present (past, future, or imaginary).

•Productivity: Ability to create new expressions and sentences.

•Cultural Transmission: Language is learned through social interaction, not inherited

•Duality: Language operates on two levels – sounds (phonemes) and meaning

2. What is the difference between phonetics and phonology?

•Phonetics: The study of the physical production and perception of speech sounds.

•Phonology: The study of how sounds function within a particular language, including
rules for sound combinations.

3. What are morphemes? Explain their types.

•Definition: Morphemes are the smallest meaningful units of language.

•Types:

•Free morphemes: Can stand alone (e.g., book, run).

•Bound morphemes: Cannot stand alone and must attach to another morpheme (e.g., -
ed, un-).

•Derivational morphemes: Create new words (e.g., happy → happiness).

•Inflectional morphemes: Indicate grammatical changes (e.g., play → played).

4. What are minimal pairs, and why are they important?

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 •Definition: A minimal pair consists of two words that differ in only one phoneme (e.g.,
cat vs. bat).

•Importance: They show how a single sound can change meaning, illustrating the
phonemic distinctions in a language.

5. What are the major word-formation processes?

• Compounding: Combining two words (e.g., notebook).

• Blending: Merging parts of two words (e.g., brunch = breakfast + lunch).

• Clipping: Shortening a longer word (e.g., exam from examination).

• Borrowing: Taking words from other languages (e.g., piano from Italian).

• Acronyms: Using initial letters to form a word (e.g., NASA).

6. What is the difference between denotation and connotation?

• Denotation: The literal dictionary meaning of a word (e.g., rose = a type of flower).

• Connotation: The additional emotional or cultural meanings associated with a word

7. What is the significance of context in pragmatics?

• Definition: Pragmatics studies meaning in context.

• Significance: Context helps determine the intended meaning of utterances, as

Example:

• “Can you pass the salt?” – Literally a question, but pragmatically a polite request.

8. What is the difference between a dialect and an accent?

•Dialect: A variety of a language with differences in vocabulary, grammar, and

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 •Accent: The way words are pronounced, often influenced by the speaker’s region or first
language.

9. What are Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas?

•Broca’s area: Located in the frontal lobe; responsible for speech production. Damage
causes difficulty in speaking (Broca’s aphasia).

•Wernicke’s area: Located in the temporal lobe; responsible for understanding language.
Damage causes issues with comprehension (Wernicke’s aphasia).

10. What is code-switching, and why does it occur?

• Definition: Switching between languages or dialects in a single conversation.

• Reasons:

• To fit into social contexts.

• To express concepts better in one language.

• To emphasize or clarify a point.

11. What are the stages of first language acquisition?

•Cooing (0–6 months): Producing vowel-like sounds.

•Babbling (6–12 months): Repeating consonant-vowel combinations (e.g., ba-ba).

•One-word stage (12–18 months): Using single words to express ideas (e.g., milk).

•Two-word stage (18–24 months): Combining two words (e.g., want toy).

•Telegraphic speech (24+ months): Short, meaningful sentences (e.g., Daddy go work).

12. What are implicatures in pragmatics?

•Definition: Additional meanings inferred from an utterance but not explicitly stated.

•Example:

•A: “Did you finish the homework?”

•B: “I was really busy yesterday.”

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Implicate: B did not finish the homework.

13. What are the main causes of language change?

•Sound changes: Alterations in pronunciation over time (e.g., Great Vowel Shift).

•Semantic changes: Words gaining new meanings (e.g., mouse referring to a computer
device).

•Borrowing: Adopting words from other languages.

•Social factors: New inventions, technologies, or cultural shifts.

14. How does language reflect identity in sociolinguistics?

•Language reflects regional, social, and cultural identities.

•Features such as accents, dialects, and word choice signal belonging to specific groups.

•Example: Using slang can signal youth culture, while formal language reflects
professional identity.

15. What are the main theories of second language acquisition?

•Behaviorist Theory: Language learning through imitation and reinforcement.

•Innatist Theory: Learners have an innate language acquisition device (LAD).

•Interactionist Theory: Language learning occurs through social interaction and