List of top Questions asked in GATE Humanities and Social Sciences- Linguistics

Which of the given statements is/are TRUE?
Statement (I): Diglossia and dialect continuum are synonymous.
Statement (II): Bilingual speakers are also bidialectal.
Look into the data from Micoacan Aztec and match the words (P-S) to their meaning (i-iv) and select the correct sequence.
Match the languages (P – U) to the language families (i – iv) and select the correct sequence.
In the production of the /z/ sound which of the following will take place?
The phrase “the first person in space” refers to Yuri Gagarin. Which of the following could be used to determine reference?
Which of the following statement(s) apply to pidgins?
In the given tree-structure NP1 C-commands NP2 but not vice versa because:
Which of the given pronunciations DO NOT conform to the phonological rule?

Determine the correct nature of the following two utterances from the choices given below.
P: Hasnain said ki woh kal aayegaa 
\(\textit{(COMP he tomorrow come.will)}\) “Hasnain said that he will come tomorrow” 
Q: Rohan will get some desi vegetables. 
\(\textit{(local)} \)“Rohan will get some local vegetables”

The sound change of Proto-Indo-Aryan /p/ to Germanic /f/, deduced by comparing cognates like Latin pater, Sanskrit pita and English father, is an example of _________.
Which of the following diagrams depict(s) the violation of a principle of autosegmental phonology?
In the given sentences, the semantic relationship of hyponymy can be found in between _________. (i) The thing in the grass is a small snake.
(ii) The thing in the grass is a small reptile.
Bill walked into a store in New York, looking for a restroom. He asked a storekeeper which floor the men’s restroom is and he replied, /ðə fəʊθ flɔː/ for the fourth floor. What kind of store Bill must have walked into?
Which of the followings occurred due to the Great Vowel Shift of the English language?
Which of the following statements are true for the pulmonic consonant table in an IPA chart?
Identify the compounds in the given data.
Linguistic determinism is best captured in _________.
Match the phonological processes in column Y to their names in column X.
‘Bilingual language acquisition’ refers to the _________.
Which of the following is the sequence of derivation as per Minimalist Program?
Linguistic determinism is the strongest form of the _________.
Which of the given statements is TRUE?
Statement (I): Every spoken language includes discrete sound segments that can all be defined by a finite set of sound properties or features.
Statement (II): Speakers of all languages are capable of producing and comprehending an infinite set of sentences.
Cholera, typhoid, diphtheria and tuberculosis cause huge number of deaths. Poor quality drinking water has always been the world’s greatest single carrier of sickness. Disease is transmitted when sewage and drinking water come into contact. Children are particularly vulnerable. In some of the poorest countries the infant mortality rate is high. The separation of sewage and the supply of clean drinking water are the domain of civil engineers, and their work makes a significant contribution to public health. That contribution was recognized when public sanitation was voted the greatest medical breakthrough, beating the discoveries including antibiotics and vaccines in a poll organized by the British Medical Journal. Identify the statement(s), which is/are NOT TRUE according to the passage.
Shark’s teeth have evolved to correspond to the diet of each particular species of shark. Consequently, the teeth of the great white shark bear little resemblance to those of the bull shark or nurse shark. There were essentially four different shark diets and thus four varieties of shark teeth. Sharks that feed on fish have needle-like teeth, perfect for spearing and ripping. Sharks that eat mammals such as seals and sea lions have heavy, serrated teeth, typically triangular on the upper jaw and pointed on the lower jaw. Shark that feed in the benthic zone of the ocean have flattened teeth for crushing the shell of the creatures they find scuttling in the sand or clinging to rocks. Sharks that bask have teeth that are largely non-functional; these sharks filter food from the water by passing it through their gills.
Which of the following is/are the CORRECT inference(s) as per the passage?
A particular school management wants to contact all parents, all businessmen and all engineers. The following statistics are available with the school.
Businessmen = 50
Engineers = 25
Parents = 2500
Businessmen who are engineers = 0
Businessmen who are parents = 25
Engineers who are parents = 15
The number of people who need to be contacted are _________.