UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS

JAN/FEB 2022

ENG1502
Foundations in Applied English Language Studies

100 Marks
Duration 48 Hours
FEBRUARY 2022

This paper consists of 8 pages.

Instructions:

The examination paper consists of Three sections and Six questions. You must answer
ALL questions.

Carefully read the instructions given for each question.

You may use your study material for reference.

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Open Rubric
SECTION A
Question 1
“The language components interact with one another. They contain smaller parts, all of
which interact in precise, though limited, ways with each other and with parts of other
components” (Delahunty & Garvey, 2010: 38). Taking into account this statement, study
the language aspects in TUT 501, page 8, Table 1, and then answer the questions that
follow.

Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause
unreasonable fear.
Source:https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-
opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020 accessed: 07 June
2021

1.1 Identify the morphological elements that make up each of the following words.

1.1.1 lightly (2 marks)

1.1.2 unreasonable (3 marks)
1.2 Using Table 1 on page 8 from Tutorial letter 501, mention the language aspect
that describes the activity you did in 1.1 (1 mark)
1.3 In your own words, explain the distinction between the language aspect you
mentioned in 1.2 and syntax. (2 marks)
1.4 In Tut letter 501 on page 8 semantics is explained as “the study of meaning
and how meaning is made and understood.” Bearing this statement in mind, read the
following sentence:

She was invited to attend the ball for the retiring Chief Executive Officer.

1.4.1 Provide the meaning of the word ‘ball’ as used in the sentence. (1 mark)
1.4.2 Construct your own sentence in which you show another meaning of the word ‘ball’.
(2 marks)

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1.5 Read the following sentence and explain two different meanings of the underlined
phrase
The English teacher dresses smartly and speaks eloquently.
(2 marks)
1.6 Construct two sentences of your own in which you use a phrase that carries two
meanings. Underline the phrase you have used in both sentences.
(2 marks)
[15 marks]

Question 2
In Unit 2, you were introduced to the concept of speech varieties. You were also made
aware that the use of a speech variety may be influenced by a wide range of factors. The
factors include the purpose for which the variety is used and the relationship between its
users.
Study the following message and answer the questions that follow.
TEXT A
When I woke up this morning, I saw a message from my friend. It read, “Eish! my
bro. I have just learned that my father has finally passed away. We’ll have to call off
the braai. Askies chommie.” Still staring at the message, I said to myself, “Aikona!
Things are really bad these days. This Covid is really messing us up.

2.1 What is the register used in the above text message? (1 mark)
2.2 Identify four different examples from the message (TEXT A) to support your answer
in 2.1. (4 marks)
2.3 Provide the standard form for the examples you identified in 2.2 (4 marks)
2.4 Create your own message in which you use three different non-standard forms.
• Do not use the words from TEXT A
• Provide the standard form of the words or phrases you have used in your message.
(6 marks)
Sub-total for Section A: [30 marks]

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SECTION B
QUESTION 3
Having completed this module, you should be able to explain the arbitrariness between
spelling and pronunciation in the English Language. The following questions test your
knowledge and understanding of this aspect.
Read the instruction for each question and respond accordingly.
3.1 Give three examples to illustrate the arbitrariness in spelling and pronunciation in
the English language.
NB: You should NOT use the words in 3.2 (3 marks)
3.2 Study the following sets of words paying attention to how the consonant cluster ‘th’ is
pronounce in each word.
Set A = that, thumb, thrash, then, three, thy.
Set B = thing, thought, them, there, thread, this.
Regroup/rearrange the words into two sets of words that share the same pronunciation.
Write the phonetic symbol that each set of words share.
N.B. No marks will be awarded for a set that has more than two words that do not belong
together. (6 marks)
3.3 It is a proven observation that some words in the English language are usually
mispronounced by second language (L2) speakers. Study the following words and then
explain the difficulty in pronunciation that L2 speakers encounter. In your explanation
shown clearly the standard and non-standard pronunciations. You are free to use the
phonetic/phonemic transcriptions of the words to help you with the explanation.

• Duvet
• Management
• Parking

(6 marks)
Feel free to use: https://ipa.typeit.org to find the phonetic symbols.
[ 15 Marks]

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QUESTION 4
Read the poem which has been adapted from a famous poet’s work and then answer the
questions that follow.
"The Moment" Adapted from a poem by Margaret Atwood
If you remember the moment when, after many years
of hard work and a long voyage,
you stand in the center of your room,
house, half-acre, square mile, island, country,
knowing at last how you got there,
you say, I own this.
Since this is the same moment when the trees unloose
their soft arms from around you,
After the birds take back their language,
Before the cliffs fissure and collapse,
the air moves back from you like a wave
and you can't breathe.
No, they whisper. You own nothing.
You were a visitor, time after time
climbing the hill, planting the flag, proclaiming.
We never belonged to you
Because you never found us.
It was always the other way round.
4.1 What type of sentence is the first sentence in this poem? Substantiate your answer.
(4 marks)
4.2 What type of sentence is the last sentence in this poem? Substantiate your answer.
(4 marks)
4.3 Read the second sentence ‘ Since….can breathe’.
a) What grammatical category do the words, ‘since, after and before’ belong to?
(2 marks)
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b) What function does EACH of these words serve in the sentence? (6 marks)
4.4 To what does the ‘it’ at the beginning of the last line refer? (2 marks)
4.5 ‘No, they whisper. ‘You own nothing.’ Identify the subject of each of the sentences.
(2 marks)
[20 Marks]
QUESTION 5
Read the following extract. The underlined/bolded words, phrases and clauses
contain a type of error. Name the type of error and give its correct form. Do not
write out the whole passage. If you do, make sure that you underline the changes
you have made.
The Covid-19 global pandemic has caused disruptions to economic around the world. It
is no surprise that the South African economy have not been spared. While the most
devastating effects of the disease have been the number of infections (over 38 million
worldwide) and number of deaths (over one million), its economic consequences cannot
be understated.
In South Africa, the impact on many businesses has been catastrophic. The hospitality
sector has feel the brunt of the disease. Bookings were being cancelled and the existence
of hotels pubs and restaurants was under threat. As a natural consequence, businesses
turned to their insurers for assisting.
[15 marks]
2 marks for identification + 1 mark for correction
Total for Section B: [50 marks]

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SECTION C
QUESTION 6
Moving from the Margins: Towards an Inclusive Urban Representation of Older People in
Zimbabwe’s Policy Discourse
by Busisiwe Chikomborero Ncube Makore and Sura Al-Maiyah
School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Manchester M5 4WT,
UK
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ageing as a Unique Experience: Interdisciplinary
Approaches to Ageing and Later Life from Social and Humanities Perspectives)
Abstract
Population ageing has become a major global demographic shift but perhaps less noticeable in
the Global South. Zimbabwe, like many African countries, is experiencing and will continue to
witness an increase in older age, hence questioning its readiness to handle such change. Ageing
in Zimbabwe is currently occurring in the context of increasing poverty, political unrest,
changing family structures, and weakening infrastructures. Despite this, Zimbabwe is committed
to promoting change and betterment for its citizens through adherence to international agendas
and national development strategies. However, the first step towards the realisation of an
inclusive urban environment begins with a fair representation of the various actors and social
groups. This review paper is aimed at examining the representation of Zimbabwe’s older people,
a subject that has rarely been the focus of critical analysis, concentrating on the political
discourse in urban development programmes.
A sample of 45 international and national policy documents published post-2002, was carefully
selected and inspected to determine the level of presence of older people using discourse
analysis. The findings reveal that in the context of the efforts made towards a Zimbabwe that is
inclusive of all citizens, the idea of older persons as subjects of rights and active participants has
yet to truly gain sufficient currency. There is a dominance of a one-dimensional perspective
across the majority of the publications, with older people constructed as “dependent”,
“vulnerable” and “passive”, overseeing vital contributions to society. A realistic and more
empowering representation of this social group, showing them as active caregivers rather than
passive recipients is therefore a necessity if Zimbabwe is to fulfil its vision of inclusivity.
Source: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open
access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
a) Who is the potential audience/readers for this writing? (1 mark)
b) Find 2 examples from the extract to justify the audience you have identified in a).
(4 marks)

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 c) Write a reflection of between 200 - 250 words in which you state the writer’s purpose for
writing this text, stating also what the writer’s attitude is towards older people. Support your
response by referring closely to words, phrases from the FIRST PARAGRAPH ONLY.
(15 marks)
Total for Section C: [20 marks]

[Total = 100 MARKS]

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