Let's say we could teach a dolphin to understand the difference between the sentences "The parrot kissed the dolphin" and "The dolphin kissed the parrot." If this were demonstrated, it might mean the dolphin had an understanding of ________.
A) phonemes
B) morphemes
C) syntax
D) pragmatics

Question

Let's say we could teach a dolphin to understand the difference between the sentences "The parrot kissed the dolphin" and "The dolphin kissed the parrot." If this were demonstrated, it might mean the dolphin had an understanding of ________.
A) phonemes
B) morphemes 
C) syntax 
D) pragmatics

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Syntax refers to the rules governing the structure of language and the way words are arranged to form phrases and sentences. Understanding the difference between the two sentences requires an understanding of sentence structure and the order in which the subject and object occur. Phonemes (A) are the smallest units of sound in language. Morphemes (B) are the smallest units of meaning in language, such as prefixes and suffixes. Pragmatics (D) refers to the social and cultural context of language use, such as knowing when to use formal or informal language in different situations. None of these would be required to understand the sentence structure of the given sentences.

Let's Say We Could Teach a Dolphin to Understand the Difference