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ENGL 2000-01 (American
Speech) Examination Date: Friday, May 5, 2006 from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm in TLC 1112. Bring a blue book and ink pen to class for the exam. The following will identify some of the most important terms, concepts, and questions that you will need to know for the final examination. Not all of the questions listed here will appear on the exam. The study guide simply provides you with some specific topics to consider while you study. The exam will cover selected topics from Chapters 1-13 in your textbook, along with supplemental information presented in class and on the course website. 1. List five general properties of American English. Be prepared to describe two of the properties using an example from the textbook. You can choose which two you want to describe. See p. 12-15. 2. What are the major stages or periods related to the development of English in America? What are the approximate time periods for these three stages? Describe two major characteristics of each period. See Chapter 2. 3. When we say that American English retrains archaic features, what do we mean? Give an example of an archaic feature related to 1) pronunciation (one example); 2) vocabulary (two examples). 4. Give an example of new American words that are used to describe objects in the following categories: 1) plants; 2) animals, 3) geography. See p. 38-39. 5. What is linguistic geography? 6. What is the difference between an idiolect, a dialect, and a language? Be able to define these terms and know the difference between them. See p. 52. 7. List characteristics of the Northern dialect from the following: 1) pronunciation (two examples); 2) vocabulary (two examples). 8. List characteristics of the Coastal Southern dialect from the following: 1) pronunciation (two examples); 2) vocabulary (two examples). 9. What geographic area comprises the Midland dialect in contrast to the Northern and Southern dialect areas? How are the immigrants who initially comprised this area different from those who comprised the Northern and Southern areas? 10. How do New York, Boston, the Coastal South, and the Midland areas compare when it comes to the presence or absence of / r / in pronunciations, especially after vowels? 11. What are three major reasons for the relative uniformity of American English? See p. 73 12. List four factors that contribute to social variation in language. See p. 79-80. 13. What is Standard American English? See p. 80-83 and class lectures. 14. What is Nonstandard (or Vernacular American English)? List four stigmatized features that often mark a speaker as nonstandard. See p. 82-84. 15. What is the difference between prescriptive and descriptive grammar? See course website for a definition of each of these. 16. Define and characterize the differences between and pidgin and a creole. See http://www.westga.edu/~dnewton/engl2000/pidgin_creole.html on the course website for specific characteristics about each of these terms. 17. What are the two major theories regarding the origins and development of Black English Vernacular (BEV)? Which is regarded by most contemporary linguists as the most credible? (94-95) 18. Give two examples of words with West African roots that have become part of BEV and American English. (99) 19. What is the difference between an interactional medium and an informational medium? What are some of the characteristics that distinguish these two mediums? See Sets A and B for characteristics on pages 109-110. 20. List three conditions that led to the emergence of American slang. (118-19) 21. One characteristic of American slang its productivity (creating new words). Describe what the following terms mean in terms of producing new slang words and give a slang example of each from the textbook: 1) Compounding; 2) Derivation; and 3) Functional Shift. (129-31) 22. Another characteristic of American slang is its inventiveness. Describe what the following terms mean in terms of producing new slang words or phrases and give a slang example of each from the textbook: 1) metaphor; 2) idioms; 3) hyperbole; 4) metonymy (132-33). 23. List six characteristics of slang? See http://www.westga.edu/~dnewton/engl2000/dialect_levels.html (3.2) 24. Describe three different linguistic causes that create vocabulary differences between British and American English and give an example of each. (141-42) 25. List five major areas or domains where British and American English words differ and give an example of each. (144-48) 26. Describe three reasons why certain American words have been adopted into British English and give an example of each. (151) 27. Noah Webster's spelling reforms were published in what book and when? Give two examples of his reforms that were adopted and two examples of his reforms that were rejected. (167) 28. In terms of linguistics, what does Economy mean? Give an example (from the textbook) of economy in American English in terms of words and in terms of syntax. 29. Give two different examples of how sound-to-spelling correspondences and phonetic spelling have shaped American English words. (186-87) 30. What is the difference between regular and irregular verbs? How do changes in these verb forms demonstrate the process of regularization? (190) |