LING 1010 TEST QUESTIONS 2025, ALL
WITH DETAILED VERIFIED CORRECT
ANSWERS
universal listeners
children are able to distinguish between any two sounds found in human language
domain-general knowledge
knowledge that is used by multiple cognitive abilities; if empiricists require innate knowledge, it
will be domain-general
domain-specific knowledge
knowledge that is used by cognitive ability; nativists allow for innate domain-specific knowledge
because they don't mind multiple types of innate knowledge
word segmentation problem
the problem of how children decide where the breaks are between words in the speech
stream, despite the fact there are no physical breaks in the stream
word learning problem
the problem of how children figure out the meanings of the words of their language
U-shaped curve
children first memorize forms, then learn rules and overgeneralize them and then finally
learn the exceptions to a rule
transformation
a syntactic rule that takes the output of the PS rules and rearranges (transforms) that input into
a new output
are transformation rules linear order dependent or structure dependent?
, structure dependent
** hierarchy matters
do children know that transformation rules are structure dependent?
YES - they do know that transformation rules are structure dependent
-supports the nativist (shows they have innate knowledge of this from birth)
quantifiers examples
some
no
every
most
conservative
to determine the truth of a sentence containing a quantificational determiner, one never
needs to look at the properties of individuals outside the set of the determiner's noun
critical period
humans only have access to their innate language learning mechanisms for a short period
after birth (from birth roughly to puberty)
3 pieces of evidence for critical period
1- second language learning
2- language deprivation
3- pidgins and creoles
Genie & Isabelle
Genie - rescued at age 13 and never fully acquired a natural language
Isabelle - rescued at age 6 and was successful in acquiring English
pidgin
WITH DETAILED VERIFIED CORRECT
ANSWERS
universal listeners
children are able to distinguish between any two sounds found in human language
domain-general knowledge
knowledge that is used by multiple cognitive abilities; if empiricists require innate knowledge, it
will be domain-general
domain-specific knowledge
knowledge that is used by cognitive ability; nativists allow for innate domain-specific knowledge
because they don't mind multiple types of innate knowledge
word segmentation problem
the problem of how children decide where the breaks are between words in the speech
stream, despite the fact there are no physical breaks in the stream
word learning problem
the problem of how children figure out the meanings of the words of their language
U-shaped curve
children first memorize forms, then learn rules and overgeneralize them and then finally
learn the exceptions to a rule
transformation
a syntactic rule that takes the output of the PS rules and rearranges (transforms) that input into
a new output
are transformation rules linear order dependent or structure dependent?
, structure dependent
** hierarchy matters
do children know that transformation rules are structure dependent?
YES - they do know that transformation rules are structure dependent
-supports the nativist (shows they have innate knowledge of this from birth)
quantifiers examples
some
no
every
most
conservative
to determine the truth of a sentence containing a quantificational determiner, one never
needs to look at the properties of individuals outside the set of the determiner's noun
critical period
humans only have access to their innate language learning mechanisms for a short period
after birth (from birth roughly to puberty)
3 pieces of evidence for critical period
1- second language learning
2- language deprivation
3- pidgins and creoles
Genie & Isabelle
Genie - rescued at age 13 and never fully acquired a natural language
Isabelle - rescued at age 6 and was successful in acquiring English
pidgin
