Section 1: Sociolinguistics

Question 1

1.1 Labov was investigating the pronunciation of postvocalic ‘r’ by employees of three
department stores in Manhattan. (Labov,1966) This postvocalic contains two variants (1)
r is pronounced (2) r is deleted or not pronounced. (Labov,1966)

1.2 Labov analyzed the data he had collected by asking women working as salesperson in
these three stores, Saks, Macy’s and Klein’s: Where can he find women’s shoes, they all
responded, ‘fourth floor’, he would pretend to have not heard to get them to repeat the
phase. His (Labov) were that the use of postvocalic’ reflected the social class of the store
with more use at Saks followed by Macy’s then Klein’s. (Labov,1966)

1.3 The survey yields the same results: The higher the socioeconomic status of the clerk, the
more frequent ‘she pronounced r”. (Labov,1966)
Section 3: Neurolinguistics
Question 1

1.1 left side of the brain

1.2 right side of the brain

1.3 Left-handed

1.4 Early brain damage(injuries) of left hemisphere also contributes to left handed people as
even though language defects in left handed individual is manly due to problems in right
hemisphere (Rasmussen, Milner,1977).

1.5 Injuries or whatever the cause of early brain damage on the left hemisphere increases
incidents of language deficits in right handed individuals (Rasmussen, Milner,1977).
Language difficulty that usually common to right handed individuals also occurs to left hand
induvial that have experienced damage of left hemisphere in their early years. (Rasmussen,
Milner,1977).

1.6 According Luria aphasia which is language difficulty that arises from complication in the
left hemisphere of the brain is common with right handed people than in left handed
individual, this confirms that the left hemisphere is associated with the right hand.
(Rasmussen, Milner,1977)
 Section 2: Psycholinguistics
Question 1

a) The strategy violated is “sentences have to make sense”, it comes down to strong
knowledge of the world that women do not usually bit crocodiles (Jeewa,2019).
b) This is the violation of the “main clause first” :this sentence would have been easier to
memorize if the subordinate is not appearing first (Jeewa,2019).

Question 2
The hearer strategies violated in the sentence are assumed sentoids, main clause first and
sentences have to make sense strategy (Jeewa,2019).
 Assumed sentoids-the sentence is too long to remember
 Main clause first-the sentence with the subordinate coming first it is difficult to
understand
 Sentences have to make sense-it does make sense why the detective will assault the
criminal in court
References

Labov, W.1966 The Social Stratification of English In New York City, Washington;
Center for Applied linguists.

Jeewa, S .2019. Understanding Language, LING101: Hearer Strategies, University of

Kwazulu-Natal, Unpublished Lecture Notes.

Rasmussen, T. and B. Milner (1977). Clinical and surgical studies of the cerebral speech
areas in man. In: K.J. Zulch, O. Creutzfeldt and G.C. Galbraith (eds.) Cerebral
Localization. New York: Springer Verlag, 238-257.
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LING101
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT 2
03 MAY 2019