UGC NET English June 2025

Correct Answer

3. Semantics

Explanation

Semantics is the subfield of linguistics dedicated to the study of meaning in language. It specifically investigates the relationship between signifiers (words, symbols, and sentence structures) and what they signify (concepts, objects, and ideas in the external world). Semantics deals with word meanings (lexical semantics) and sentence meanings (sentential semantics).

In contrast:
Syntax studies sentence structure and rules.
Phonology studies sound systems and patterns.
Morphology studies word formation.

Correct Answer

3. Universal Grammar (UG)

Explanation

Universal Grammar (UG) is a core concept in Chomsky's Minimalist Program and generative linguistics. It proposes that humans are born with an innate, hard-wired blueprint for language, a set of underlying principles and parameters common to all human languages. This blueprint allows children to acquire any language they are exposed to quickly and efficiently.

UG contrasts with Performance (the actual use of language in concrete situations), and while it relates to Deep Structure (the underlying meaning of a sentence), it is the broader, universal mechanism that enables the formation of all human languages.

Correct Answer

3. Register

Explanation

A Register (or style) is a variety of language used in a specific social situation, context, or professional field. Registers are differentiated by their formality, vocabulary (e.g., technical jargon), and syntactic structure.

Examples include:
• The legal register (using terms like heretofore).
• The scientific register (objective, passive voice).
• The colloquial register (informal everyday speech).

This differs from a Dialect (a variety based on geographic or social group, affecting vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation) and an Accent (differences only in pronunciation).

Correct Answer

3. Pejoration

Explanation

Pejoration (or semantic degradation) is a type of Semantic Change where the meaning of a word becomes more negative or critical over its historical development.

A classic example is the word "villain," which originally meant "a farm worker" (from Latin villanus) but came to mean a "wicked person."

Elevation (or Amelioration) is the opposite: a word's meaning becomes more positive.
Broadening is when a word's meaning becomes wider or more general.
Semantic Shift is the general term for any change in meaning.

Correct Answer

4. Plosives (or Stops)

Explanation

Plosives (also known as Stops) are consonants articulated by a complete closure, or obstruction, of the vocal tract, stopping the airflow completely. This is followed by a sudden, explosive release of the air.

Common English plosives include:
Voiceless: /p/ (pat), /t/ (ten), /k/ (cat)
Voiced: /b/ (bat), /d/ (den), /g/ (get)

Fricatives involve a partial obstruction, creating audible turbulence (e.g., /f/, /s/).
Affricates start as a plosive and release as a fricative (e.g., /tʃ/ in church).
Nasals involve a complete oral closure but airflow through the nose (e.g., /m/, /n/).

Correct Answer

4. D, E, C, A, B

Explanation

The correct chronological order of first language acquisition stages is:

D. Cooing (0–6 months): The earliest vocalization, consisting of simple, soft, vowel-like sounds (e.g., 'oo', 'ah'). It is a pre-linguistic stage used for vocal experimentation.

E. Babbling (6–12 months): Infants start producing consonant-vowel combinations, often repeated (e.g., 'ba-ba', 'da-da'). The sounds have rhythm but lack meaning.

C. The One-Word Stage (12–18 months): The child uses single words (holophrases) to express an entire thought or idea (e.g., "Milk!" meaning "I want milk.").

A. The Two-Word Stage (18–24 months): Simple, grammatical two-word sentences emerge, showing early syntax (e.g., "Daddy go," "Baby eat").

B. Telegraphic Speech (24–30+ months): Longer multi-word sentences are formed, but they omit necessary grammatical function words (articles, prepositions), resembling a telegraph message (e.g., "Want cookie now," "Go park car").

Correct Answer

2. C, E, D, A, B

Explanation

These events mark key policy milestones shaping the status of English in post-independence India. The correct chronological order is:

C. All India Language Conference (1949): Discussed India's national language policy post-independence.

E. The Official Language Act (1963): Ensured English would continue alongside Hindi for official purposes even after the 15-year transition period.

D. Kothari Commission (1964–66): Recommended the Three-Language Formula, maintaining English as an essential language in school education.

A. Gokak Committee Report (1983): Formed in Karnataka, its debates reinforced the need for balanced language policy, including the role of English.

B. Acharya Ramamurti Commission (1990): Reviewed the National Policy on Education (1986), upholding the importance of English for global and academic needs.

Correct Answer

2. A, B and D Only

Explanation

The correct statements (A, B, and D) capture the core characteristics and functional aspects of language:

A (Correct): Language is primarily vocal (speech) but includes visual forms (sign language, writing). The listed subfields (phonetics, phonology, orthography, etc.) are valid areas of linguistic study.

B (Correct): Communication is the primary function of language. The subfields listed (pragmatics, discourse analysis, etc.) are indeed the areas that study language use and communication beyond the sentence level.

C (Incorrect): While language uses conventionalized symbols, the listed subfields (universal grammar, innateness, neurolinguistics) are specific to psycholinguistics and theoretical linguistics (theories of acquisition/structure), not broad definitions of language itself.

D (Correct): This is a comprehensive and accurate definition emphasizing the systematic, conventionalized nature of language symbols (signs, sounds, gestures, marks) used for communication of ideas/feelings.

E (Incorrect): While language has region-specific characteristics (dialects), the statement begins by overly restricting the definition, and the listed subfields are a mix of different linguistic levels (sound, structure, meaning, use) that apply to all languages, not just regional ones.

Correct Answer

1. B, C and E Only

Explanation

The correct events corresponding with their respective years are:

B (Correct): The first ELTI (English Language Teaching Institute) was established in Allahabad in 1954.

C (Correct): The Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages (CIEFL) was established in Hyderabad in 1958.

E (Correct): The National Education Policy (NEP) and Programme of Action (POA) were launched in 1986.

Other Options:

A (Incorrect): The Official Languages Commission was established in 1955, not 1936.

D (Incorrect): The National Policy on Education did not come in 1960—it was first framed in 1968.

So, the correct statements are B, C, and E only.

Correct Answer

1. A, D and E Only

Explanation

A (Correct): A mixed metaphor combines two incompatible metaphors, creating a jarring image (e.g., "The ship of state is sinking, and we need to grab the bull by the horns.").

B (Incorrect): This describes synecdoche (part for the whole, e.g., "all hands on deck"). Metonymy uses a closely associated attribute or entity to represent the thing meant (e.g., "The Crown" for the monarchy).

C (Incorrect): To scan (or scansion) verse is specifically to analyze its meter and rhythm by marking stressed and unstressed syllables, not its content, theme, or diction.

D (Correct): A kenning is a characteristic feature of Old English and Norse poetry, using a compound descriptive phrase as a poetic substitution for a simple noun (e.g., "whale-road" for the sea; "ring-giver" for king).

E (Correct): Figurative language is broadly categorized into Tropes (figures of thought or meaning, like metaphor and irony) and Schemes (figures of speech or arrangement, like alliteration and chiasmus).

Correct Answer

1. A, B and E Only

Explanation

A (Correct): Linguistics describes structures and traces the history (diachronic) of all observable languages, not just a select few.

B (Correct): Theoretical linguistics seeks to identify universal laws (Universal Grammar) that govern the structure and acquisition of all human languages.

C (Incorrect): Linguistics is descriptive; it studies all manifestations of human speech, regardless of whether they are deemed "civilized" or "standard."

D (Incorrect): Linguistics is non-prescriptive; it studies language as it is actually used, rejecting the notion that only "correct" or "flowery" speech is worthy of study.

E (Correct): As a discipline, linguistics must continually define its boundaries and subfields (e.g., phonology, semantics) to organize its areas of inquiry.

Correct Answer

4. A-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II

Explanation

A. Pidgin – III. A contact language which draws on elements from two or more languages
A simplified language developed for communication between speakers of different native languages, often for trade or colonial purposes.

B. Creole – IV. A term relating to people and languages especially in the erstwhile colonial tropics and subtropics, in the Americas, Africa, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania
A stable, natural language developed from a mixture of different languages, often originating from pidgins and spoken natively.

C. Idiolect – I. The language is special to an individual, sometimes described as a 'personal dialect'
The unique language use of an individual, including their choice of words, pronunciation, and grammar.

D. Register – II. A language defined according to social use, such as scientific, formal, religious, and journalistic
A variation of language determined by its use in particular contexts or situations.

Correct Answer

2. A-III, B-IV, C-II, D-I

Explanation

A. Collocation – III. A habitual association between particular words
Example: "make a decision" and "heavy rain." These word pairs tend to occur together in natural usage.

B. Inflected – IV. A term in which a word takes various forms to show its grammatical role
Example: "run," "runs," "ran," and "running" are inflected forms of the verb run.

C. Polarity – II. A term for the contrast between positive and negative in sentences, clauses, and phrases
Example: "He is coming" (positive) vs. "He is not coming" (negative).

D. Generative – I. A term borrowed in the 1960s from mathematics into linguistics by Noam Chomsky
Refers to Generative Grammar, a theory that describes the implicit knowledge humans have about the structure and formation of sentences.