Master exam - 02

       Master’s Degrees— How to answer the exam

                                                   Linguistics and Advanced English Studies

                                                   Exam 2

1. Describe the sound system of Modern English.

-----Provide a detailed overview of the phonological aspects of Modern English. Discuss the different types of sounds (consonants, vowels, diphthongs), the phonetic and phonemic distinctions, stress patterns, intonation, and variations in pronunciation.

2. All speakers of English can talk to each other and pretty much understand each other. Yet, no two of us speak exactly alike. Some differences are the result of age, sex, social situation, and where and when the language was learned." (Fromkin et. al., 2014. p279).

-----Write an essay exploring the sociolinguistic factors that cause variation in English language use. Discuss how factors such as age, gender, social context, and geographical location influence the way people speak English. Explain how these variations impact communication and understanding among English speakers.

3. Explain how linguists use different frameworks, theories, and models to account for the ways in which meaning is constructed through language.

-----Discuss the various linguistic approaches to understanding how meaning is created in language. Include discussions on semantic theory, pragmatics, discourse analysis, and cognitive linguistics. Explain how each framework or model contributes to our understanding of meaning in language and provide examples to illustrate these concepts.