Linguistics Questions
on the ESOL CST (From NYSED)
http://www.nystce.nesinc.com/PDFs/NY_fld022_prepguide.pdf
0001 Understand
basic linguistic concepts and their application to ESOL instruction.
For example:
• applying
knowledge of phonetics and phonology (e.g., distinguishing among
classes of sound)
• applying
knowledge of English morphology and lexicon to analyze a word's
structure,
function, and meaning
• identifying
syntactic features (e.g., a verb phrase) in sentence context
• identifying discourse
features (e.g., cohesion) in a textual context
• applying
knowledge of linguistic concepts in interlanguage analysis
• applying
knowledge of the structure of the English language„ 8 „
0002 Understand
basic sociolinguistic concepts related to ESOL instruction.
For example:
• demonstrating
knowledge of sociolinguistic concepts (e.g., dialect diversity in
English,
intercultural differences in communication styles, codeswitching)
• demonstrating
knowledge of academic discourses
• demonstrating
knowledge of language variation
• demonstrating
knowledge of the appropriate roles of written and spoken
Standard English
|
Sociolinguistics
1. Use the sentences below to answer the question that
follows.
Pardon me, sir, but would you mind
opening the window?
Open the window, will ya,
buddy?
Open the window now.
Gee, it's hot in here.
Together, these utterances illustrate which
of the following important aspects of
language use?
A. monitoring
B. dialect
C. morphology
D. register
Correct Response: D. The four sentences differ from
one another in register, or degree of
formality. They do not illustrate monitoring, which is a learning strategy rather than a
general
aspect of language use, or morphology, which is the branch of linguistics dealing with
the
internal structure of words.
There are no clear dialectal differences among the four sentences.
Explanation:
An utterance is a stretch of
speech between pauses. Register is a linguistic activity that is distinct from
other linguistic activities. Examples of different linguistic activities or
registers include gossiping, giving a sermon, everyday conversation, university
lecture, and so on. These activities involve different conventions. Everyday
conversation is less formal than a lecture. In the example above, the four
utterances are all part of everyday conversations, but they differ in tenor
(the language of interaction), which plays an important role in register and
reveals such things as social status and the roles of the speaker and listener.
Thus, “Open the window now” is a direct command that shows the speaker has some
power over the person being told to open the window. “Open the window, will ya,
buddy?” is an informal request probably made among friends, and “Pardon me,
sir, but would you mind opening the window?” is a polite request made to a
stranger or a superior. “Gee, it's hot in here” is a statement that indirectly
suggests that someone should open the window. (A nonnative speaker of English
might not understand that the speaker wants the window opened.)
Pragmatics
2.
Juan is an English Language Learner
talking to his neighbor. What type of error is represented in Juan’s response
to Ken’s invitation.
Ken: We’re having some people over Saturday
evening and wanted to know if you’d like to join us.
Juan: I’m busy.
A. Pragmatic inappropriateness
B. Grammatical error
C. Syntactic error
D. Phonological
variation
Correct Response: A Juan
says that he is busy, but does not exhibit regret that he is unable to come. As
a result, his answer seems rude, though it is unlikely that he meant it to be.
There are no errors in grammar or syntax, nor is there an example of
phonological variation.
Explanation: Pragmatics is the study of language use.
When a person uses language incorrectly, the mistake falls into the area of
pragmatic inappropriateness.
Phonology
3. Identify at least one English phoneme that
speakers of other languages may have difficulties with. Briefly explain possible reasons for the problems.
Correct
Response:
There can be many correct responses.
Explanation: Th is a good response because th
is a difficult sound for most learners to produce; many languages do not have
this sound, so learners may be completely unfamiliar with it.
4. When you pronounce the words Pam, pan, and pang, one
or more phonological processes take place. Please choose the correct name of
the process(es).
A. vowel
nasalization
B.
change in place of articulation
C.
free variation
D. A
and B
Correct
Response: D The vowel a becomes nasal, as the final consonants
are called nasals and they articulated in different places. Free variation is
not involved here.
Explanation: According to
Crystal, “phonological rules are general statements about the relationships
between sounds and classes of sounds. They summarize what happens when sounds
occur in particular grammatical or phonetic contexts.” Some common phonological
rules include aspiration, vowel lengthening, vowel nasalization, and flapping
(p. 39). [These are discussed in your
textbook in Chapter 2: flapping (p. 39 .),nasalization (p.37), vowel
lengthening (pp. 43-45)]. M, n, and ng are all nasal consonants. They have
different places of articulation that cause the vowel a to be pronounced differently in each of the words.
5.
In English, one letter may be pronounced in different ways, but it remains the
same letter; for examples, the p in spat and pat are phonetic variants of the phoneme p. The differences in sound quality are called
A. Articulation
B. Allophones
C. Dialect
D. Accent
Correct
response: B Allophones are phonetic
variants of a phoneme (“a perceived unit of language that signals a difference
in meaning when contrasted to another phoneme” according to Rowe & Levine).
In the example above, the phoneme p
is pronounced differently in spat [ph] (aspirated) than in
pat [p](unaspirated).
Explanation:
In English, different pronunciation of the same letter as in allophones does
not change the letter, whereas in some languages these two sounds would be
different phonemes and, therefore, would change the meaning of a word.
6.
To develop phonemic awareness in first and second language learners, teachers
often use groups of words that have the same ending but different initial
phonemes that change the meaning of the word, for example, /bat/cat/hat/mat/pat. These are called word families or
A. Phones
B. Variation
C. Minimal sets
D. Syntax
Correct
Response: C Minimal sets is the correct answer. Minimal sets are made up of
more than 2 forms that differ in meaning but contain the same number of sound
segments with only one phonetic difference. A phone is just a sound distinct from other sounds. Variation refers to language change, and
syntax is sentence structure.
Explanation:
In the case of bat/hat/mat, b+at =
bat, h+at=hat, m+at=mat, there are two sound segments, and only the first one
changes. In pan/pen/pin/pun, only the vowel changes, while the p and n remain constant. Minimal sets are helpful in the development of
phonemic awareness because they show the relationship between sounds and
changes in meaning.
(from
the NYSED Guide http://www.nystce.nesinc.com/PDFs/NY_fld022_prepguide.pdf and other sources)
1.
Which of the following sentences is written in the passive voice?
A. My best friend saw the play.
B. The play was seen by many people.
C. I could see the play tomorrow night.
D. Several critics have seen the play.
Correct
Response: B. In the passive voice, the
subject of the sentence receives the action
instead of performing it. The subject of sentence
B, "The play," performs no action, but is acted
upon ("is seen by many
people").
Explanation: In the correct choice, B, many people are the agents of the
action. They see the play but are not
at the beginning of the sentence, where the learner may expect them; instead, by precedes many people at the end of the sentence. Thus, the play is foregrounded or given more prominence in the sentence.
The agent is relegated to a prepositional phrase and in some cases may be left
out altogether, as in The play was seen
for the first time.
The active version of choice B is Many
people saw the play.
All other choices are in the
active voice. The person performing the action (the agent of the action) [my best friend/I/several critics] comes
at the beginning of the sentence before the verb.
The passive voice sentence
structure pattern is acquired late (ages-10-12) by L1 speakers of English and
is a feature of academic language, especially the language of social studies
and science. It is an essential structure for ESL students to learn because it
is important for both reading comprehension and advanced writing.
Use the dialogue below between a
teacher and an ESOL student to answer the questions 2 & 3 that follow.
Teacher: What did you do last night?
Student: I goed play bowling.
Teacher (enthusiastically): Oh, you went bowling? (gestures rolling a bowling ball)
Student: Yes, I goed bowling.
Teacher: Was it fun? Tell me about it!
____________________________________________________________________________
2.
The student's past tense error in this conversation is an example of which of
the following natural phenomena that occurs during the early phases of both
first- and second-language acquisition?
A. performance errors
B. overgeneralization
C. inflected forms
D. transformation
Correct
Response: B. The student's use of goed illustrates the error known as overgeneralization, or treating irregular verbs and nouns as though they were regular—in
this case, applying the standard rule of forming the past tense by adding –d or –ed to the present tense of the verb.
Explanation: The student has learned that to make the past
tense in English, you add- d or -ed. When he/she comes across a verb
that has an irregular past tense form, he/she simply adds the past tense marker
because he/she is unaware or forgets that the entire form of the verb changes
in special cases. Many of the most common verbs have irregular past tense
formation, so these are usually taught along with the regular forms, but
students may rely on the rule too often, thus overgeneralizing. Some common mistakes in overgeneralizing
the past tense include buy/buyed
(instead of bought), see/seed (instead of saw), think/thinked (instead of thought),
just to name a few.
Other
examples of overgeneralization include:
Using the plural marker
–s (as in boy/boys, girl/girls) on irregular plurals, such as man/mans instead of man/men, child/childs
instead of child/children, mouse/mouses instead
of mouse, mice and so on
Using the comparative marker
–er on all adjectives, instead of just on shorter ones, such as expensive/expensiver instead of expensive/more expensive
Incorrect
choices:
Performance errors: any errors in student output
Inflected form: -ed
is an inflectional ending for the past tense
Transformation: changes in sentence structure
Though a performance error is involved in the
example and the example involves an inflectional ending, the question asks for
the name of the natural phenomenon in the language acquisition process that
causes learners to make this error. Thus, the answer is overgeneralization, a
concept discussed in the grammar, linguistics and SLA courses. (refer to your
texts)
3.
In this interaction, the teacher is most likely trying to:
A. convey the patterns of verb conjugation
in English.
B. provide correct verb forms by directly
pointing out the student's mistake.
C. check the student's level of listening
comprehension.
D. encourage the student to develop fluency
without overt attention to form.
Correct
Response: D. The teacher is modeling the
correct verb form, "went," without directly
pointing out the student's error. This technique is
meant to help the student develop fluency
naturally, without analyzing the grammatical forms
he or she needs in order to communicate
a message. The student's listening comprehension
does not seem to be an issue in this exchange.
Explanation:
The teacher provides the
correct form “went” but does not point it out. The notion behind this technique
involves the student noticing the correct form. There is a controversy as to
the effectiveness of noticing versus explicit correction, with the latter
being seen as more effective by some linguists. However, for the new speaker,
it is unnerving to have every mistake pointed out. If the learner continues to
repeat the error, a micro-lesson on the topic will increase the learner’s (and
all classmates’) knowledge and awareness of the grammar point.
Self-correction
is an advanced language skill that takes time to develop. Most studies show
that language learners want specific feedback about their errors. Therefore,
teachers should provide them with the necessary feedback in an appropriate
manner, balancing the need for correction with a low-anxiety environment in
which learners can take risks.
Choices
A, B, and C may be related to the question but do not provide the best answers.
The verb conjugation patterns are a much bigger subject than changing goed to went. The teacher does NOT directly point out the mistake and does
not seem to be targeting listening comprehension.
4. An ESOL student talking about her experience upon arriving in the
United States says:
When I arrive in United States, the first three
months were the most difficult experience in my life.
The verb “arrive” in the first line is incorrect
with respect to
(A) person
(B) gender
(C) tense
(D) number
Correct Response: C In the above sentence, the verb arrive is in the present tense. The context is the student’s past
experience, and the rest of the sentence is in the past tense (the first three months were). Arrive should also be in the past tense
(arrived).
Explanation:
There can be a few explanations as to why the learner uses the wrong tense.
Most commonly, the learner has not mastered the English tense system and may be
hampered in this if he/she speaks a language that does not have inflection for
tense, e.g. Mandarin or Cantonese, in which only a particle is added to the
sentence to express past time.
The other responses do not apply
because person (I/you/we/they/he/she it), gender (he/she/it), and number
(singular/plural) are not marked in English past tense.
5. An English learner constantly leaves out the definite (the) and indefinite (a/an) articles in his writing and
speech. For example,
She goes to bazaar every day.
He was good boy.
This
type of error is an example ofHe was good boy.
A. Overgeneralization
B. Language transfer
C. Inflection
D. Compounding
Explanation: Many languages, especially non-Indo-European languages, do not have articles and may or may not have ways of expressing the/a/an. Learners of English may have difficulty with articles, from leaving them out to overusing them. Leaving them out is generally caused by language transfer, while overuse or misuse of articles is likely to be the result of overgeneralization once they have learned about articles. (She goes to the shopping. Every Sunday they go to the church. The children go to the school every day.)
The boy did not know
who’s book fell into the pond.
The error in the
above sentence involves
A. Tense
B. Subject-verb agreement
C. Pronoun reference
D. Possession
Correct Response: D The error is the use of who’s
for whose. Who’s is a contraction for who
is, while whose is the possessive
form needed to describe the question of possession of the book (whose book).
Explanation: Who’s and whose are commonly taught as homophone pairs. Part of the confusion
here comes from the fact that the apostrophe is associated with possession,
though here it signals the absence of the i
in is, so it is a contraction and
does not express possession. If you
write it out without the apostrophe, it is easier to see that there is a
mistake, though ESL students must be taught that the whose form explicitly means possession.
The other choices are incorrect because whose is not a verb, thus it cannot
represent a tense, and the other two answers do not address the problem of
possession.
7. The underlined portion of the following sentence is an example of
what structure?
The man who is standing at the corner is our teacher.
A. A prepositional phrase
B. A verb group
C. A restrictive or defining relative clause
D. A nonrestrictive or non-defining relative clause
Correct Response: C The underlined portion is a relative clause, and it is necessary for
defining the man, that is, for determining which man (the man who is standing at the corner, as opposed to the man who is in front of the bank).
Relative clauses begin with relative pronouns who/that/which.
Explanation: It is important, first of all, to recognize the
underlined structure as a clause (subject+verb+ prepositional phrase). The who at the beginning makes it a relative
clause. Then the decision is whether it is defining (also called restrictive or
embedded) or not. The use of defining relative clauses is a feature of advanced
writing.
It is not a verb group because a verb group only
consists of verbs, while this clause contains a relative pronoun (who) and a prepositional phrase (in front of the bank). It is not a
prepositional phrase because it contains a finite verb is and a subject relative pronoun (who).
8. The following two
sentences are ambiguous; that is, they have two possible interpretations. For
each sentence, decide whether the ambiguity is lexical (involving a vocabulary
choice) or syntactic (involving a sentence structure).
·
He eats shoots and
leaves.
·
She wears plain
clothes.
Choose the correct
answer:
a. Neither involves
lexical ambiguity.
b. Both involve lexical
ambiguity.
c. The first involves
syntactic ambiguity, and the second involves lexical ambiguity.
d. The first involves lexical ambiguity, and the
second involves syntactic ambiguity.
Correct response: C The first sentence could cause confusion
because of sentences structure (eats
shoots and leaves/eats, shoots, and leaves), and the second involves
lexicon (plain clothes—simple clothes
versus not a uniform).
Explanation: In the first
sentence, it is unclear if 2 processes (verbs) or 3 processes are represented. Is
shoots a verb or a noun? If it is a
verb, commas should be used to clarify the sentence structure.
In
the second sentence, the source of the ambiguity is the word plain. Is the writer commenting on the
type of clothing, or is the writer referring to clothing that is not a uniform,
e.g. a policeman in plain clothes?
No comments:
Post a Comment