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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 11.1.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which defender of Americanisms cited by Mencken in Chapter 1.3 states that "Language is made by the people"?
(a) William Archer.
(b) Edgar Jepson.
(c) George Ade.
(d) Richard Aldington.

2. What leads most of the studies of the sounds of the American common speech astray, according to Mencken in Chapter 9.10?
(a) Laziness.
(b) English conventionalism.
(c) Individualistic interpretation.
(d) A lack of scope.

3. Which of the following is one of the three great causes of change in language according to Sayce, as reported in Chapter 9.3?
(a) Phonetic innovations.
(b) Lexicography.
(c) Cultural encounters.
(d) Laziness.

4. What is the English meaning of the Hawaiian word "lanai"?
(a) Bathroom.
(b) Balcony.
(c) Porch.
(d) Garage.

5. According to Dr. Louise Pound, what do Latin plurals tend to become in colloquial American?
(a) Singular nouns.
(b) Infinitive verbs.
(c) Adjectival modifiers.
(d) Adverbs.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does John S. Farmer describe the Western vernacular as being?

2. Which of the following was not used as a substitute for the once indecent term, for highly refined ears, "bull"?

3. In what language does Mencken state the double negative was once "quite respectable?"

4. How do the English pronounce the first syllable in "lieutenant"?

5. Which London newspaper lamented the "menace" that American movies offer to the purity of the English language?

(see the answer key)

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