To

Lin g u is t ic s
So lve d P a s t P a p e rs
Question no 1

ENCIRCLE ONE OF THE GIVEN CHOICES FOR EACH OF THE BELOW.

1 . When the tip of the tongue touches the back of the teeth, the sounds produced are:
a Alveolar fricatives
b Labiodentals
c Plosives
d Dentals

2) The sounds produced with vibration in the the vocal cords, they are called
a Voiceless
b Voiced
c Aspirated
d Alveolar

3) The study of language across time is known as

a Parole
b Langue
c Synchronic
d Diachronic

4) The smallest unit of sound is known as

a Morph
b Morpheme
c Phoneme
d Allophone
5) Semantics is the study of
a Meaning in language
b Form and structure of word
c Sounds of language
d Study of language

Question no 2
2) Explain synchronic and diachronic study of language with the help of Saussure’s example
of chess?
Answer
The synchronic and diachronic studies of language are two different approaches to linguistic
analysis introduced by the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure.

Synchronic linguistics
A synchronic study of language examines the elements of a language at a specific point in
time. It’s like taking a snapshot of the language and analyzing its structure, rules, and usage
without considering historical changes. Saussure’s chess analogy for synchronic analysis
suggests that just as a snapshot of a chess game reveals the positions of the pieces and the
potential moves at that moment, a synchronic analysis shows the state of a language’s
elements (like phonetics, grammar, and vocabulary) at a particular time.

Dichronic linguistics
On the other hand, a diachronic study of language looks at the development and evolution of
a language over time. It’s akin to observing a series of moves in a chess game over an
extended period, which shows how the game progresses, strategies evolve, and the position of
pieces changes. Similarly, diachronic analysis tracks changes in a language, such as shifts in
pronunciation, word meanings, and grammatical structures through different historical
periods.

Sassure’s chess
Saussure’s chess example illustrates these concepts by comparing the state of a chess game
(synchronic) with the rules and moves that have changed over the course of the game’s
history (diachronic). Each move in chess affects the future of the game, just as historical
events and cultural shifts influence the evolution of language. However, at any given
moment, the game of chess has a set of rules and possible moves that can be analyzed without
reference to its history, much like a synchronic view of language.

Question no 3
3) Distinguish between deep and surface structure?
Answer:

Deep Structure Surface Structure

 This refers to the underlying,  This is the actual spoken or

abstract representation of a
sentence that captures the
semantic relations between its
elements. It’s the core idea or
meaning that the speaker intends
to convey.
 Deep structures are often
universal across languages, as
they represent the conceptual
content of sentences before any
linguistic rules are applied to
them.
written form of a sentence after
it has been transformed from
the deep structure by
grammatical rules.
 Surface structures are specific
to each language and follow its
particular syntactic
conventions. They are what we
hear and see in everyday
communication.

Example
To illustrate, consider the sentence “John gave Mary a book.” The deep structure would
involve the idea of a giver (John), a receiver (Mary), and an object being given (a book). The
surface structure could vary: “John gave a book to Mary,” “A book was given to Mary by
John,” or “Mary received a book from John.” Each of these sentences has different surface
structures but shares the same deep structure.

Question no 4
What is the difference between syntagmatic and paradigmatic relations?
Answer

Syntagmatic relations

 These are about the

linear combination of