Qassim University Semester II, 1436/2015 College of Arabic and Social Studies Linguistics ENG 251 Department of English Language and Translation 1436/2015
INTRODUCTORY LINGUISTICS
STUDY TASKS & EXERCISES
Textbook:
The Study of Language
Course Professor: Zaidan Ali Jassem
Chapter 5. Word Formation
Task 1
Totally new words can be made in various ways but can they be created from nothing, from the air? Give one or two examples? Explain why can’t all the human beings, including the top linguists and scientists and businessmen in the world, at all times and places make up a single, yes single, word by themselves, without having learnt it from the others?
Task 2
Linguists trace the history of English, German, French, and European words back to Latin and Greek and stop there as if they were hanging in the air, entirely cut off from their neighbours, which is known as etymology. Refute this hypothesis and show how linguistics (language), phonetics, (phonology, phoneme), grammar, etymology, for example, come directly from Arabic.
Then read the sentence below
The English language is Anglo-Saxon
Every single word and morpheme in it can be traced back to Arabic. Describe briefly, stating whether English, on the basis of your results, is an Arabic dialect.
Task 3.
Through derivation or the use of prefixes and suffixes, we can build new words by making nouns from verbs, adverbs from adjectives, and so on. All English, German, and French derivational affixes can be traced back to Arabic. Show how the suffixes in safety, salvation, activate, cigarette, erudite
directly derive from Arabic, for example.
For information, visit
https://www.academia.edu/2344915/_2013a_The_Arabic_origins_of_deriv
ational_morphemes_in_English_German_and_French_A_lexical_root_th eory_approach
and/or
https://www.academia.edu/2345117/_2013b_The_Arabic_origins_of_nega tive_particles_in_English_German_and_French_A_lexical_root_theory_a pproach
Chapter 6. Morphology
Task 4.
Morphemes can be derivational and inflectional. What is the difference?
Task 5
English has SEVEN inflectional morphemes, which are: i) –s in speaks, cats, cat’s,
ii) -t in learnt (learned) , dreamt (dreamed), wept, slept
iii) -ed in waited, needed,
iv) -en in spoken, (whiten, inherit, ensure/insure, embrace),
v) -ing in speaking,
vi) -er in taller, and vii) -est in tallest.
All suffixes have Arabic sources or origins. Can you trace any TWO of them back to Arabic? Give examples.
For information, visit
https://www.academia.edu/2237324/_2012f_The_Arabic_origins_of_num ber_and_gender_markers_in_English_German_French_and_Latin_A_le xical_root_theory_approach
