IGNOU MEG 4 Solved Question Paper

Welcome to our blog, In this post, we’re sharing the IGNOU MEG 4 Solved Question Paper of June 2023 examination, focusing on Aspects of Language.

This guide is here to help you prepare for your exams with clear answers and explanations. Whether you’re just starting or revising for your exams, this resource will make studying easier and more effective.

In this post, we’ll discuss all the answers including the short and long answer questions.

You can also download all previous year question papers of MEG 4 from our website.

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Question 1

1. Write short notes on any two of the following :

(a) Pidgins and Creoles

Pidgins and Creoles are types of contact languages that emerge in multilingual environments. A Pidgin is a simplified, non-native language developed for basic communication between speakers of different native languages, often during trade or colonial contact. It has limited vocabulary and simplified grammar. A Creole, on the other hand, evolves when a pidgin becomes the first language of a community. It expands in vocabulary and grammar to meet all communicative needs. For example, Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea started as a pidgin and became a Creole. While pidgins are nobody’s native language, Creoles are fully developed and natively spoken.

(b) Difference between Monism and Dualism

Monism and Dualism are two philosophical approaches to the nature of reality and the mind-body relationship. Monism asserts that reality is composed of a single substance or principle. In metaphysics, it often holds that everything is either entirely physical (materialism) or entirely spiritual (idealism). Dualism, most famously proposed by Descartes, maintains that reality consists of two distinct substances: mind and body, or mental and physical. Dualism emphasizes the separation between the material world and consciousness, while monism seeks unity. Thus, monism argues for a singular essence of existence, whereas dualism stresses the coexistence of two fundamentally different realities.

(c) The Co-operative Principle

The Co-operative Principle, proposed by philosopher H.P. Grice, explains how effective communication in conversation is achieved. It suggests that participants generally cooperate with one another by following four conversational maxims: Quantity (be as informative as needed), Quality (do not say what you believe to be false), Relation (be relevant), and Manner (be clear and orderly).

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Question 2

2. Critically review the changes that have taken place in language planning from 1690’s to 1990’s and explain its importance in today’s times.

Language planning has undergone significant transformations from the 1690s to the 1990s, evolving in scope, purpose, and execution. Initially, in the 17th and 18th centuries, language planning was closely tied to standardization efforts and the nationalistic agenda of emerging European nation-states. In England, for instance, scholars like John Dryden and Jonathan Swift emphasized “purifying” the English language. Efforts focused on correcting usage, spelling, and grammar to establish a uniform standard that could reflect national pride and intellectual identity. The English dictionary by Samuel Johnson (1755) became a cornerstone of prescriptive language planning during this period.

By the 19th century, language planning took on a more institutionalized form, particularly in colonized nations. Language policies were imposed by colonial rulers to promote their own languages while marginalizing indigenous ones. English, French, and Spanish became dominant languages in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, leading to linguistic displacement and the erosion of local languages. However, it also led to the emergence of hybrid forms like pidgins and creoles, which later influenced language policies in post-colonial states.

The 20th century, especially the post-World War II era, marked a shift towards inclusive and developmental language planning. Countries gaining independence in Asia and Africa undertook deliberate efforts to promote native languages. For example, India’s three-language formula and efforts to promote Hindi while maintaining linguistic diversity reflected this shift. Scholars began to distinguish between status planning (deciding which language is used where) and corpus planning (modifying a language’s internal structure). Language planning expanded beyond grammar and orthography to include educational policy, media, and technological communication.

From the 1980s to the 1990s, globalization influenced language planning, leading to greater emphasis on multilingualism, language rights, and preservation of endangered languages. Organizations like UNESCO advocated for the protection of linguistic diversity. Language planning now began addressing digital language use, minority language revitalization, and intercultural communication.

In today’s times, language planning is crucial for inclusive education, national integration, and technological accessibility. It ensures that linguistic minorities are not excluded from economic and civic life. Furthermore, in a globalized world, effective language planning promotes cross-cultural communication, social cohesion, and economic development. Thus, understanding its historical evolution helps refine current strategies to meet contemporary linguistic and social challenges.

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Question 3

3. What is the difference between the generativists and the structuralists ? In what ways have the generativists made advancements on the structuralists ?

The Structuralists and Generativists represent two influential schools of thought in the development of modern linguistics, each with distinct theoretical approaches and objectives. The primary difference between the two lies in how they view language structure and its analysis.

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Question 4

4. What is the Binding Theory ? Discuss (with examples) its principles with reference to anaphor, pronominal and other bound elements.

Binding Theory is a core component of Noam Chomsky’s Government and Binding Theory, which addresses the syntactic relationship between noun phrases (NPs) and how they refer to each other within sentences. Binding Theory deals with the distribution and interpretation of three types of noun phrases: anaphors (e.g., himself, herself), pronominals (e.g., he, she), and referential expressions (e.g., Ravi, the girl). It explains how these elements can or cannot share reference within syntactic domains based on structural rules.

Binding Theory consists of three main principles :

Principle A: Anaphors Must Be Bound in Their Governing Category

An anaphor (like himself, themselves, each other) must have an antecedent (a noun phrase it refers to) within its local domain or governing category.

Example :

Priya admired herself in the mirror.

→ Herself is an anaphor bound to Priya within the same clause – acceptable.

Priya said that Riya admired herself.

→ Herself refers to Riya, the subject of the embedded clause – still correct.

Herself admired Priya.

→ Invalid because herself lacks a preceding noun phrase to bind to in the same clause.

Principle B : Pronominals Must Be Free in Their Governing Category

Pronominals (like he, her, him, they) must not have a co-referent antecedent within their local domain.

Example :

Ravi hurt him.

→ Him cannot refer to Ravi in the same clause – violates Principle B.

Ravi said that Ramesh hurt him.

→ Him can refer to Ravi, as it is in a different clause – acceptable.

Principle C : Referential Expressions Must Be Free Everywhere

Referential expressions (like proper names or definite noun phrases: Ravi, the girl) must not be bound by another co-referential expression anywhere in the sentence.

Example :

He said that Ravi would win.

→ He and Ravi must not refer to the same person – otherwise, Principle C is violated.

Ravi thinks that Ravi will win.

→ Grammatically correct, but sounds unnatural if both refer to the same person.

Conclusion :

Binding Theory governs how noun phrases interact within sentences. It ensures that anaphors are properly linked to nearby antecedents, pronominals are not, and referential expressions remain independent. These principles help avoid ambiguity in sentence interpretation and maintain syntactic clarity.

Question 5

5. How do we classify morphemes in English ? Explain with examples to draw the distinction between (a) Free and bound and (b) Grammatical and lexical.

Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a language. They form the foundation of word formation and grammatical structure in English. Morphemes help us understand how words are built and how they function within a sentence. They are broadly categorized into two types based on form and function: (a) free and bound morphemes, and (b) lexical and grammatical morphemes.

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Question 6

6. Describe the English vowels and explain how they are different from consonants.

In English phonetics, vowels are speech sounds produced with an open vocal tract, allowing the air to flow smoothly from the lungs through the mouth without any obstruction. This openness distinguishes vowels from consonants, which involve some form of constriction in the vocal tract that interrupts the airflow.

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