Language and Linguistics MCQs

Question 1

#1

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Hard

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25 Jan 2026

Which language consistently ranks highest in total speakers (L1+L2), reflecting its global *lingua franca* role?

Answer

While Mandarin Chinese has the highest number of native (L1) speakers, English has the highest number of total speakers (L1+L2) globally. This is primarily because of its role as the dominant international *lingua franca*—a language widely adopted for communication between two speakers whose native languages are different—in fields such as business, science, and the internet.

Question 2

#2

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Medium

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25 Jan 2026

A speaker’s accidental slip of the tongue primarily illustrates which linguistic concept?

Answer

A 'slip of the tongue' or speech error is an imperfection in the actual production of language, which Noam Chomsky termed 'Linguistic Performance.' Performance refers to the actual use of language in concrete situations. The speaker's underlying, abstract knowledge of the language rules, which is unaffected by the error, is termed 'Linguistic Competence.'

Question 3

#3

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Easy

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20 Jan 2026

Which branch of linguistics studies the internal structure of words and their formation?

Answer

Morphology is the branch of linguistics dedicated to the study of the internal structure of words and the rules by which words are formed, often by combining morphemes (the smallest meaningful units).

Question 4

#4

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18 Jan 2026

Which branch of linguistics analyzes the formation of the word ‘unbelievable’ from morphemes?

Answer

Morphology is the study of the internal structure of words and the rules by which words are formed, primarily through the combination of morphemes (the smallest meaningful units). In 'unbelievable,' the morphemes are 'un-,' 'believe,' and '-able.' Syntax deals with sentence structure; Semantics deals with meaning; and Phonology deals with sound systems.

Question 5

#5

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Hard

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16 Jan 2026

What morphological typology generally characterizes the Indo-European language family?

Answer

The Indo-European language family, which includes English, Spanish, Hindi, and Russian, is primarily characterized by a fusional (or inflectional) morphology. This means a single affix (morpheme) often expresses multiple grammatical functions simultaneously, such as number, case, and gender, in a single ending. Isolating languages (like Mandarin Chinese) rely on word order, while agglutinative languages (like Turkish) string together many distinct affixes, each with a single function.

Question 6

#6

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Hard

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11 Jan 2026

What is the technical term for a variant of a phoneme that occurs in a specific phonetic context without changing the word’s meaning?

Answer

An allophone is a phonetically distinct variant of a phoneme. Its occurrence is usually determined by the sound's position or phonetic environment, and substituting one allophone for another of the same phoneme does not change the meaning of the word. A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning, and phonotactics are the rules for combining phonemes.

Question 7

#7

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Medium

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31 Dec 2025

A native English speaker says “swimmed” instead of “swam” but corrects himself. This momentary error is an example of a lapse in:

Answer

Noam Chomsky distinguished between Competence (the idealized, unconscious knowledge of language rules) and Performance (the actual use of language in concrete situations, which is affected by factors like fatigue, memory, and distraction, leading to slips of the tongue). A native speaker knows the correct past tense (Competence) but momentarily errs in production (Performance).

Question 8

#8

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Hard

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23 Dec 2025

In Generative Grammar, what explains the divergence of a speaker’s linguistic competence from their actual language performance?

Answer

Noam Chomsky introduced the crucial distinction between linguistic 'competence' and 'performance.' Competence refers to the idealized, unconscious knowledge a native speaker has of their language's rules (the underlying mental grammar). Performance refers to the actual use of language in concrete situations (the utterances, which often contain errors, false starts, and hesitations). The divergence between the two is explained by 'psychological constraints and errors,' which include non-linguistic factors like memory limitations, distractions, fatigue, and shifts of attention.

Question 9

#9

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Hard

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20 Dec 2025

Which morpheme, when added, alters grammatical function without changing the root word’s category?

Answer

The suffix '-ed' is an inflectional morpheme; it adds a grammatical function (past tense) but does not change the word's lexical category (a verb like 'walk' remains a verb in 'walked'). Derivational morphemes (un-, -tion, -ly) typically create a word with a new core meaning or change its lexical category (e.g., 'act' (verb) to 'action' (noun)).

Question 10

#10

By TheQuizWire

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Hard

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15 Dec 2025

What is the most critical factor for a language to maintain its long-term vitality and avoid endangerment?

Answer

Unbroken intergenerational transmission—the process by which a language is passed naturally from parents to children within the home—is considered the single most critical factor for a language's vitality. The breakdown of this transmission is the primary indicator of language endangerment, as identified by frameworks like UNESCO’s Language Vitality and Endangerment criteria. If children stop acquiring the language as a first language, its long-term survival is immediately threatened, regardless of its total number of older speakers or official status.

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