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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. According to Dr. Louise Pound, what do Latin plurals tend to become in colloquial American?
2. Over how many post offices does Mencken state bear the adjective "New"?
3. Into what was the French surname "Beauchamp" translated in America?
4. Which two letters did the American ethnologist McGee insist were his first name and should not be followed by periods?
5. Which of the following does Mencken not list as a once-slang word turned into one commonly accepted?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
There is a very notable and significant difference between the neologisms of the Americans and the British. Write an essay analyzing these differences, their sources, and what the neologisms reveal about the respective national characters. What is characteristic about the neologisms Mencken ascribes to Americans? What are the characteristics of those ascribed to the British? How are these different? How are they similar? How does each country come about fostering their neologisms? What do these methods and their sources reveal about the countries and their national characteristics, respectively?
Essay Topic 2
One of the hardest aspects of any language that is almost impossible to classify is the nuances of pronunciation. Write an essay analyzing the problems caused by the varieties and degrees of pronunciation. Have the difficulties it causes those who study the American language. What is the definition of pronunciation? How does Mencken treat of pronunciation? What are the ways in which it may change an auditor's understanding of a language? How is the American pronunciation divergent from the British? What particularities of the American pronunciation are significant in comprehension of the American language?
Essay Topic 3
Through what Mencken claims concerning the nature of slang, in Chapter 11, it could be construed as a microcosm of The American Language as a whole. Write an essay investigating this claim. What are the chief characteristics of any linguistic development? What are the chief characteristics of the development of slang? How are they alike? How are they different? What processes do they undergo? What is significant and mutually relevant in these processes?
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This section contains 355 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |
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