Re: THE QUIZ...

Alexander Gross wrote:

Without looking at anyone else's answers yet ...

> 1. Linguistics is the science of language. _X_True ___False
>
> 2. The detailed study of grammar will ultimately unveil all major secrets
> of language.
> ___True _X_False
>
> 3. Mathematics and especially computational mathematics are far more
> complex than language and will necessarily sooner or later produce solutions
> for most linguistic problems.
> ___True _X_False
>
> 4. The consequences of decoding the human genome together with the
> development of ever smaller nanotechnological tools will lead to discoveries
> so vast and all-embracing that the solution to relatively trivial linguistic
> problems will become an insignificant detail by comparison.
> _X_True _X_False

(Does this predict progress in neurology? That would help understanding
the human capacity for language. But with no hint of what is meant by
"relatively trivial problems," the question is meaningless.)

> 5. If Whorfian theories were correct, this would lead to a form of
> linguistic predeterminism governing our actions and attitudes. But all
> human beings enjoy free will, and no one is ever influenced by the
> structures of their languages alone. _X_True _X_False

I believe the judge will direct the prosecutor to ask just one question
at a time.

> 6. Furthermore, if Whorfian theories were true, translation between
> languages would be impossible. But since we all know that translation is in
> fact perfectly possible, this means that Whorfian theories must be
> incorrect. Therefore, we do not need to study translation as a branch of
> linguistics or listen to what mere translators try to tell us about
> language. _X_ True _X_False

Is the question asking about the validity of the inferences, or about
the truth of the premisses?

> 7. Despite all appearances to the contrary, advances in machine translation
> over the decades have been so encouraging that after only a few more years
> of research the long-sought goal of Fully Automatic High Quality translation
> for all texts is likely to become a reality. ___True _X_False
>
> 8. Words and morphemes have core-meanings, and the painstaking study of
> these core-meanings is certain to yield important new insights into how
> language functions and perhaps lead to the creation of universal conceptual
> glossaries. ___True _X_False
>
> 9. Some 180 professional societies in our field are currently active around
> the world and most hold annual conferences lasting from two to five days
> each year, which means that scarcely a day passes when a learned conference
> about language is not in session. Such intensive activity can only mean
> that our knowledge of how language has evolved in the past and functions
> today is at an absolute peak and that all major linguistic problems are
> likely to soon be resolved.
> ___True _X_False

A list of the 180 societies might help.

> 10. The invention of language by humans was a decisive step in all of
> evolution--it ranks as our highest and most advanced achievement as a
> species and marks us as quite unique among all other creatures on our
> planet. _X_True ___False

Omitting, of course, the terms "invention," "highest," and "most
advanced," and the solecistic qualifier "quite" on "unique."
--
Peter T. Daniels grammatim@xxxxxxx
.

Relevant Pages

  • THE QUIZ...
    ... presentation during the months before the conference. ... LINGUISTICS: A Quick True or False Self-Test ... complex than language and will necessarily sooner or later produce solutions ... Furthermore, if Whorfian theories were true, translation between ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: Another Sterling Massachusetts Alum
    ... They have been trying to develop a translation ... Do you mean LANGUAGE departments? ... departments were both cut and courses. ... Linguistics (as Columbia eliminated the department pretty much in the ...
    (alt.sports.baseball.bos-redsox)
  • Re: Another Sterling Massachusetts Alum
    ... They have been trying to develop a translation ... Do you mean LANGUAGE departments? ... departments were both cut and courses. ... Linguistics (as Columbia eliminated the department pretty much in the ...
    (alt.sports.baseball.bos-redsox)
  • Re: Another Sterling Massachusetts Alum
    ... They have been trying to develop a translation ... Do you mean LANGUAGE departments? ... departments were both cut and courses. ... Linguistics (as Columbia eliminated the department pretty much in the ...
    (alt.sports.baseball.bos-redsox)
  • Re: Polynesian and South American place names
    ... You are suggesting that Japanese gen, ... >> linguistics that would be required to make such a claim ... You appeared to be arguing that it was absurd to suppose a language ... We know in that case of the athabascans ...
    (sci.archaeology)