UGC-NET (NTA) LINGUISTICS, AUGUST-2024

Total Questions: 100

91. Read the following passage and answer the questions.

The study of the linguistic properties of the written language has lagged somewhat behind the study of the sounds of speech. Nonetheless, the efforts of typographers, graphic designers, linguists, psychologists, and others have introduced a number of useful distinctions and terms, some of which are designed to avoid the ambiguity inherent in the apparently simple term, writing.
This ambiguity arises in several ways: Writing can refer to either a process or a result: while we are actively engaged in the process, we are said to be 'writing: and when we have finished, the product (our composition or text) is also called (a piece of) 'writing'. Writing can refer to either an everyday or a professional activity. All literate people, by definition, can write; but only a tiny minority are writers (i.e. authors).
Written language, when contrasted with speech, refers to any visual manifestation of spoken ianguage-whether handwritten, printed, typed, or electronically generated-and this is how the term is used in the present book. In this sense private letters, bus timetables, text messages, books are all examples of 'written text'. On the other hand, when people say 'I can't read your writing' they are referring only to handwritten (not printed or typed) text. The Writing System Most obviously, writing is way of communicating which uses a system of visual marks made on some kind of surface.
It is one kind of graphic expression (other kinds include drawing, musical notation, and mathematical formulae). In an alphabetic system, such as is found in English, the graphic marks represent, with varying regularity, individual speech sounds (or phonemes. p. 248). The standardized writing system of a language is known as its orthography. English orthography consists of the set of letters (the alphabet) and their variant forms (e.g. Capitals, lower-case), the spelling system, and the set of punctuation marks.
The linguistic properties of the orthographic system can be studied from two points of view, analogous to the distinction used in spoken language between phonetics and phonology' (p.248). Graphics, a term coined on analogy with phonetics is the study of the way human beings make, transmit, and receive written symbols.
However, unlike phonetics, where a comprehensive methodology' for describing the properties of speech sounds has been developed, there is as yet no sophisticated graphetic classification, though typographers and printers have developed a limited terminology to handle the most salient features of letter shapes.
Graphology, coined on analogy' with phonology, is the study of the linguistic contrasts that writing systems express. In particular, it recognizes the notion of the grapheme, on analogy' with the phoneme- the smallest unit in the writing system capable of causing a contrast in meaning.
For example, because sat and rat have different meanings,<s> and <r> emerge as different graphemes; on the other hand, the contrast between sat and sat is not graphic because the graphic difference does not correlate with a change of meaning. Graphemes are usually transcribed in angle brackets. Punctuation marks (such as <.> and <?>) are graphemes also, as are such units as <2>, <&>, and <$>.
The smallest unit in the writing capable of causing a contrast in meaning is called:

Correct Answer: D. Grapheme
Solution:

Grapheme: The smallest unit in a writing system capable of causing a contrast in meaning is called a grapheme. In written language, graphemes function similarly to phonemes in spoken language, as they are the smallest units that can change meaning. For example, in the words "sat" and "rat," the graphemes <s> and <r> distinguish the two words and thus represent a meaningful contrast.

92. Graphemes are usually transcribed in:

Correct Answer: B. Angle brackets
Solution:

Graphemes are usually transcribed in angle brackets (e.g.,<a>, <b>, <c>).  This notation helps distinguish graphemes from other linguistic symbols, indicating that the enclosed element represents a unit in the written language system.

93. The term 'Writing' is an ambiguous expression because:

Correct Answer: A. It refers to different senses based on contexts of use
Solution:

The term "writing" is ambiguous because it can refer to both the process of creating text and the product or result of that activity. Additionally, writing can describe both a general skill that literate people possess and a specialized profession associated with authorship, which adds to the term's contextual variations in meaning.

94. 'Orthography' refers to the:

Correct Answer: D. Standardized writing system of a language
Solution:

Orthography refers to the standardized writing system of a language, which includes letters, spelling conventions, punctuation, and capitalization rules.. It provides a consistent framework for representing spoken language in written form, ensuring uniformity and readability across written materials.

95. 'Graphetics' is an analogical creation of:

Correct Answer: C. Phonetics
Solution:

Graphetics is an analogical creation based on phonetics. Just as phonetics studies the production, transmission, and perception of speech sounds, graphetics studies the creation, transmission, and reception of written symbols, aiming to understand the physical characteristics of writing in a similar manner to how phonetics examines speech.

96. Read the following passage and answer the questions.

"Cultura! translation' may be understood as a process in which there is no source text and usually no fixed target text. The focus is cultural processes rather than products. The prime cause of cultural translation is the movement of people (subject) rather than the movement of texts (objects).
The concepts associated with cultural translation can complement other paradigms by drawing attention to the intermediary position of the translator, the cultural hybridity that can characterize that position, the cross-cultural movements that form the places where translators work, and the problematic nature of the cultural borders crossed by all translations.
There have been several prior calls for wider forms of Translation Studies, and for close attention to the cultural effects of translation. Cultural translation can draw on several wide notions of translation, particularly as developed in social anthropology, where the task of the ethnographer is to describe the foreign culture actor network theory ("translation sociology"), where the interactions that form networks are seen as translation, and sociologist that study communication between groups in complex, fragmented societies, particularly those shaped by migration.
The paradigm thus helps us to think about a globalizing world in which it is no longer possible to assume that their "source" and "target" sides are stable and separate.
The paradigm in cultural translation helps us to ____.

Correct Answer: D. Think about globalizing world in which the 'source and target' languages are assumed unstable and inseparable
Solution:

The paradigm in cultural translation helps us think about a globalizing world where 'source' and 'target' sides are considered unstable and inseparable. This view acknowledges that, in today's interconnected world, the boundaries between languages and cultures are fluid, and translation involves navigating these dynamic spaces without strict separation between origin and target.

97. Which among the following is NOт а source of cultural translation

Correct Answer: D. Linguistic area
Solution:

Linguistic area is not a source of cultural translation. Cultural translation draws from fields such as social anthropology, translation sociology, and sociological studies of communication in diverse societies. These fields focus on understanding cultural interactions and movements, while a linguistic area generally refers to a region where languages influence each other rather than a paradigm directly related to cultural translation.

98. Which among the following is the cause of cultural translation?

Correct Answer: C. Movement of the people in intercultural areas
Solution:

The primary cause of cultural translation is the movement of people in intercultural areas. As people move across cultural boundaries, they bring their languages and cultural practices with them, necessitating processes of translation and adaptation to facilitate understanding and interaction in diverse cultural spaces.

99. Cultural Translation is viewed as:

Correct Answer: D. A process rather than products
Solution:

Cultural translation is viewed as a process rather than products. Unlike traditional translation, which often focuses on a fixed source and target text, cultural translation emphasizes the continuous and dynamic interaction between cultures. It involves interpreting and mediating cultural meanings rather than producing definitive texts.

100. What are the concepts associated with cultural translation that can be helpful to other paradigms?

Correct Answer: B. The cross-cultural movements that constitute the workplaces of the translators
Solution:

Concepts associated with cultural translation that can be helpful to other paradigms include the cross-cultural movements that shape the workplaces of translators. Cultural translation highlights the fluid, hybrid cultural environments where translators operate and the challenges of navigating cultural borders, making it valuable for understanding cross-cultural communication in diverse fields.