Exercise set 1

 

(Note that questions 1-6 have been taken from a quiz)

 

1.     Based on the time perspective, contrastive analysis is a ____________ study whereas historical linguistics is a ____________ field of study.

 

In 1 and 2 label the statements as: (☺ means that more than one answer may be correct):

 

2.     ☺  In Middle English voyage used to mean 'journey' generally whereas in Modern English it is restricted to 'journey by sea'.

a) synchronic      b) diachronic      c) comparative    d) typological

 

3.     ☺  English is similar to Japanese in that neither is of VSO type, but E, unlike Japanese, has prepositions.

a) synchronic      b) diachronic      c) comparative    d) typological

 

For the statement: "English is similar to Japanese in that neither is of VSO type, but E, unlike Japanese, has prepositions":

 

4.     State the distinctive features (DF1 and DF2):

 

a) DF1=E has prepositions, DF2=J doesn't have prepositions

b) DF1=E doesn't have VSO, DF2=J doesn't have VSO

c) DF1=E has prepositions, DF2=J doesn't have VSO

d) DF1=E doesn't have VSO, DF2=J doesn't have prepositions

 

5.     State a TC: __________________________________________

 

6.     State the type of the TC you've chosen:

            a) formal     b) semantic    c) translational   d) pragmatic

 

7.     Why can't formal likeness alone serve as Tertium Comparationis for syntactic contrastive studies?

 

8.     What tertium comparationis would you choose for one of the following:

 

> study of interference from Polish perfective/imperfective system in Polish learners of English

> contrastive analysis of Polish and English terms of address

> comparison of articles and word order in Polish?

> structural, categorical and functional contrasts between Polish and English syntax

 

9.     The sound used by English speakers to express annoyance, often spelled tsk or tut, uses air trapped in the space between the front of the tongue, the back of the tongue, and the palate. Such sounds, called clicks, function as regular speech sounds in some African languages.

Which of the following statements contains a TC?

 

a)      English and some African languages use sounds

b)     English and some African languages use clicks

c)      English and some African languages use clicks to express annoyance

d)     English and some African languages use clicks as speech sounds

e)      English uses clicks only to express annoyance whereas some African languages use them as regular speech sounds

 

Now which of the above statements constitutes a TC?

 

10.   State the L1, L2, TC and the values of DF in the following grammatical rules:

 

a) Unlike in Polish, in English auxiliary verbs cannot follow the main verb.

b) In English, determiners always precede the noun whereas in Polish they may also follow the noun.

 

11.   Establish a tertium comparationis with reference to the underlined element in English and an equivalent feature in Polish/Russian. Name the following: a) the TC, b) its type and c) the distinctive features involved.

 

E She found the cat in the garden.      vs.        P Znalazła kota w ogrodzie.

 

E The book lay on the table.              vs.        P ? Książka leżała na stole.

E The book lay on the table.              vs.        R ? Kniga ležala na stole.

 

12.   Think of a possible TC for the expression of plurality in Polish and English.

 

13.   Use these examples from English and Yiddish to establish a TC. Name the TC, its type and the distinctive features involved.

 

                       E day sg. - days pl.        vs         Yiddish tog sg. - teg pl. 'day'

 

 

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