ELG101 Linguistic Analysis of Affixes, Word Formation, Syntax, and Social Media’s Impact on Language (TMA02), Singapore

Question 1

(a) Using your own examples of affixes that can attach to the root word ‘fold’, explain the difference between inflectional affixes and derivational affixes.

(b) Examine the three sets of words below. Applying your knowledge of different types of affixes in English, explain the patterns in the data below, paying particular attention to how affixes affect function.

(20 marks)

Question 2

Identify and explain the word formation process(es) involved in the formation of the following three words in English. The meaning of each word has been provided for reference.

(20 marks)

Question 3

The following sentence is syntactically ambiguous, with two possible interpretations:

“The retired superhero saw the supervillain with a telescope.”

(a) Identify the two possible interpretations of the sentence. You may explain the difference in meaning or provide paraphrases of the original sentence to represent each of the interpretations (the paraphrases must be unambiguous).

(b) In no more than 20 words, state which of the two interpretations of the sentence is represented by the tree diagram below.

(c) Illustrate the RRG tree diagram which represents the other possible interpretation of the sentence. Demonstrate your knowledge of RRG by explaining the tree diagram, describing how constituents come together to make meaning.

(25 marks)

Question 4

Read the following exchange between a mother and her teenage son. The mother is watering her indoor plants when her son walks out of his room, goes to the front door, and starts putting on his shoes.

Mother: Where are you going?
Son: Out.
Mother: That’s very informative. Thank you.
Son: (sighing) I’m going to meet Sam. Then we’re going to the arcade at the shopping mall in town. There’s a new game at the arcade that we’ve been wanting to try.
Mother: I see. Will you be home for dinner?
Son: I think so.

The following questions should be answered by drawing from concepts covered in the course.

(a) Identify and explain the semantic relationship between the underlined words in the exchange.

(b) Identify one of Grice’s Maxims that was flouted during the exchange and explain a possible reason for doing so.

(c) Identify two discourse strategies employed during the exchange and explain possible reasons for their use.

(20 marks)

Question 5

(a) With the rise of social media has come changes in patterns of language use. New terms and practices have emerged in the way people communicate online. Drawing from at least one example you have encountered in your daily life, and in no more than 300 words, discuss how the popularity of social media has impacted language use. What are the implications of this change? Your response should contain a minimum of two citations and make use of concepts covered in the course where possible.

Avoid the use of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, and QuillBot to construct your response as AI-generated content will be detected by Turnitin.

(b) Present a reference list for this assignment in APA style (7th edition). Your reference list should include the two sources cited in (a) as well as other sources that were cited in this assignment (if any).

You may refer to the APA Style Example Guide or APA Style website linked below to aid you in this task:
https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-examples.pdf
https://apastyle.apa.org/

(15 marks)