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UNIT 5 – LANGUAGE: BASIC CONCEPTS, THEORIES & PEDAGOGY
1. Saussure’s distinction between langue and parole
J 03018 Paper II English
From among the following, identify the incorrect observation regarding Ferdinand de Saussure’s seminal distinction between langue and parole.
(1) Parole is the particular language system, the elements of which we learn as children, and which is codified in our grammars and dictionaries, whereas langue is the language-occasion (what A says to B).
(2) A language consists in the interrelationship between langue and parole.
(3) Saussure made this crucial distinction in a study called A Course in General Linguistics (1916).
(4) Langue is the particular language-system, the elements of which we learn as children, and which is codified in our grammars and dictionaries, whereas parole is the language-occasion (what A says to B).
Correct Answer: (1)
Explanation:
The statement in (1) reverses the correct definitions.
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Langue = underlying language system (shared, abstract, structural).
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Parole = individual utterance (actual speech event).
Option (4) states the correct version; hence (1) is the incorrect observation.
2. Mechanical Drill Method – Second Language Acquisition
From J-03018 Paper II
J 03018 Paper II English
In the mechanical drill method of second language acquisition:
(a) The learner has the freedom to choose from many responses.
(b) The learner’s response is totally controlled.
(c) Comprehension of the item by the learner is not required.
(d) Comprehension of the item by the learner is obligatory.
The right combination according to the code is:
(1) (a) and (d)
(2) (a) and (c)
(3) (b) and (c)
(4) (b) and (d)
Correct Answer: (3)
Explanation:
Mechanical drills (e.g., substitution drills) come from Audio-Lingual Method, emphasising habit formation.
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Responses are controlled → (b) correct
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Comprehension is not required → (c) correct
Therefore (b) + (c) is the correct combination.
3. Theorist who holds that metaphor and metonymy are fundamental structures of language
From JA-030-17 Paper II
JA-030-17-II
Who among the following theorists holds that metaphor and metonymy are the two fundamental structures of language?
(1) Roman Jakobson
(2) Noam Chomsky
(3) Ferdinand de Saussure
(4) I. A. Richards
Correct Answer: (1) Roman Jakobson
Explanation:
Jakobson, in his structuralist linguistic theory, states:
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Metaphor → based on similarity
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Metonymy → based on contiguity
These form the two essential axes of linguistic expression.
4. Which of the following was NOT a dialect of Old English?
From J-03018 Paper II
J 03018 Paper II English
Which of the following was not a dialect of Old English?
(1) Irish
(2) Northumbrian
(3) Mercian
(4) Kentish
Correct Answer: (1) Irish
Explanation:
Old English historically had four major dialects: Northumbrian, Mercian, Kentish, West Saxon.
“Irish” is a Celtic language, not an Old English dialect.
5. Germanic tribes whose invasion formed the roots of modern English
From J-30-16 Paper III
J-30-16-III _English
What three Germanic tribes invaded Britons in the fifth century AD, bringing with them the roots of modern English?
(1) The Danes, Saxons and Celts
(2) The Celts, Jutes and Saxons
(3) The Saxons, Danes and Angles
(4) The Jutes, Angles and Saxons
Correct Answer: (4) The Jutes, Angles and Saxons
Explanation:
The Anglo-Saxon-Jutish migration is the foundation of Old English vocabulary and grammar.
6. George Orwell’s rule in Politics and the English Language
From J-30-16 Paper III
J-30-16-III _English
In “Politics and the English Language” George Orwell provides a list of rules to aid in curing the English language. What is the final rule?
(1) Never use a metaphor … used to seeing in print
(2) Never use a long word where a short one will do
(3) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out
(4) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous
Correct Answer: (4)
Explanation:
Orwell’s sixth and final rule emphasises clarity over adherence to rules:
Break any rule rather than write something unclear, ugly, or meaningless.
7. Functional Communicative Approach
From J-30-16 Paper III
J-30-16-III _English
Functional Communicative Approach in English Language Teaching is in opposition to:
(1) Structural Approach
(2) Comprehensive Approach
(3) Translation and Grammar Method
(4) Functional Approach
Correct Answer: (1)
Explanation:
The Functional-Communicative Approach rejects structurally sequenced syllabi.
It focuses on:
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Communicative competence
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Real-life language use
Thus it is in opposition to the Structural Approach (form-before-use).
8. In the framework of structural linguistics, which of the following pairs correspond to Saussure’s signifier and signified respectively?
(A) The written/spoken form of a word — Its meaning/concept
(B) A morpheme — A syntactic structure
(C) A phoneme — A sentence
(D) A dialect — A sociolect
Answer: (A)
Explanation: In Saussure’s model, the signifier is the sound-image or form (written/spoken), and the signified is the concept or meaning attached to it. This is a core distinction underlying structuralist linguistics.
9. According to the concept of duality of structure (double articulation) in human language, which statement is correct?
(A) Language has only one level — the level of meaning.
(B) Language is a single infinite unit of communication.
(C) The same finite set of sounds can generate infinite meaningful sentences.
(D) Meaning is unimportant; only sounds matter.
Answer: (C)
Explanation: Duality of structure means that at one level there is a finite set of meaningless units (phonemes) and at another level these combine to produce a potentially infinite set of meaningful units (words, sentences). This accounts for productivity/creativity in human language.
10. Which of the following is NOT an example of a derivational morpheme in English?
(A) -ness (as in “happiness”)
(B) -ed (as in “walked”)
(C) un- (as in “unhappy”)
(D) -ly (as in “quickly”)
Answer: (B)
Explanation: “-ed” is an inflectional morpheme (marks past tense), not derivational. Derivational morphemes (like -ness, un-, -ly) change the meaning or part-of-speech of root words.
11. Which of the following best captures the notion of communicative competence as proposed by Hymes (and influential in Communicative Language Teaching)?
(A) Knowledge of grammar and vocabulary only
(B) Ability to speak fluently without errors
(C) Ability to use language appropriately in social contexts, along with grammar and vocabulary
(D) Memorization of dialogues and drills
Answer: (C)
Explanation: Communicative competence goes beyond grammatical competence — it includes sociolinguistic competence (context, appropriateness), discourse competence (coherence), and strategic competence (repair, negotiation). It underpins CLT methodology.
12. In the study of phonetics/phonology, minimal pairs are used to —
(A) Show semantics differences
(B) Identify distinct phonemes
(C) Test vocabulary knowledge
(D) Demonstrate morphological processes
Answer: (B)
Explanation: Minimal pairs (e.g. /pat/ vs /bat/) differ by a single sound; they show that two sounds function as distinct phonemes in a language by carrying different meaning when substituted.
13. Which of the following methods is best associated with habit-formation through repetition and mimicry, as in mid-20th-century audiolingual language teaching?
(A) Grammar-Translation Method
(B) Communicative Language Teaching
(C) Audio-Lingual Method
(D) Task-Based Language Teaching
Answer: (C)
Explanation: The Audio-Lingual Method uses repeated drills, mimicry, substitution — based on behavioral psychology — to form language “habits.” It privileges listening/speaking over translation or grammar explanation.
14. According to the World Englishes model by Kachru, which term refers to countries where English is neither native nor institutionalized but used as a foreign language (EFL context)?
(A) Inner Circle
(B) Outer Circle
(C) Expanding Circle
(D) Outer-Expanding Circle
Answer: (C)
Explanation: Kachru’s “Expanding Circle” includes countries where English is learned as a foreign language (e.g. China, Japan) and not institutionalized as a first or second language. This model helps conceptualize global spread and variation of English.
15. Which of the following best describes the Universal Grammar hypothesis of Noam Chomsky?
(A) All languages have identical lexicons.
(B) There is an innate, biologically determined grammar underlying all human languages, which makes language acquisition possible.
(C) Languages evolve randomly without any shared underlying structure.
(D) Grammar must always be taught through rules and translation.
Answer: (B)
Explanation: Universal Grammar (UG) argues for a common underlying structure (principles) innate to human beings; this explains how children acquire language rapidly despite poverty of input. It is a foundational theory of generative grammar.
16. In sociolinguistics, code-switching refers to —
(A) Changing one’s dialect mid-sentence for dramatic effect
(B) Using a second language in place of a first for formal writing
(C) Alternating between two languages or language varieties within the same conversation or utterance
(D) Replacing loanwords with native equivalents
Answer: (C)
Explanation: Code-switching is the practice of shifting between two (or more) languages or dialects in a single conversation or utterance, often depending on context, interlocutor, or social purpose. It is common in multilingual contexts and a key concept in sociolinguistics.
17. Which of the following statements best reflects the competence–performance distinction in generative linguistics?
(A) Competence refers to actual speech production; performance refers to theoretical knowledge.
(B) Competence refers to an individual’s internalized knowledge of language rules; performance refers to actual use (speech/writing), which may be imperfect.
(C) Performance is more important than competence for linguistics.
(D) Both competence and performance refer only to written language.
Answer: (B)
Explanation: Chomsky introduced this distinction: competence is the idealized, internal knowledge of language structure; performance is the actual use, often affected by memory limits, mistakes, hesitation — meaning performance may not reflect perfect competence.