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Difficulty: MediumRhetorical Structure and Sentence Function

Read the passage below:

In nineteenth-century historical linguistics, the formulation of Grimm’s Law established that consonant shifts in Germanic languages followed systematic patterns rather than arbitrary transformations. However, early comparative philologists often treated apparent exceptions to these sound shifts as erratic anomalies resulting from dialectal contamination. It was not until the emergence of the Neogrammarian school in the 1870s that scholars asserted the absolute exceptionlessness of sound laws, proposing that all sound changes operate with mechanical regularity unless conditioned by specific phonetic environments or interrupted by analogical leveling. Critics initially dismissed the Neogrammarian hypothesis as an overreaching dogma that reduced the organic evolution of language to rigid mechanistic determinism. Yet, subsequent investigations into Verner’s Law demonstrated that previously unexplained voiceless-to-voiced fricative shifts were not random anomalies at all, but rather precise consequences of accentual patterns in Proto-Indo-European. Consequently, far from undermining the regularist paradigm, Verner’s work validated the Neogrammarian claim that sound shifts are governed by unyielding structural constraints.

Which of the following best describes the rhetorical function of the sentence beginning with "Yet, subsequent investigations into Verner’s Law..."?

  1. It provides empirical evidence that resolves an apparent contradiction, thereby countering an objection to a theoretical position.Answer
  2. B
    It introduces a definitive counterexample that forces proponents of Neogrammarian linguistics to abandon their thesis of sound law regularity.
  3. C
    It summarizes the primary methodological claim advanced by early comparative philologists prior to the 1870s.
  4. D
    It demonstrates that dialectal contamination was the primary mechanism behind consonant shifts in early Proto-Indo-European.
  5. E
    It adopts an overtly hostile stance toward critics by accusing them of deliberate scholarly misinterpretation.

Answer

The sentence functions to provide empirical evidence that resolves an apparent contradiction, thereby countering an objection to a theoretical position.
The sentence introduces Verner's empirical discovery regarding accentual patterns to explain previously puzzling fricative shifts. By demonstrating that these exceptions followed systematic rules, the sentence directly counters the critics' objection mentioned in the previous sentence and supports the Neogrammarian claim of exceptionless sound laws.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the structural role of surrounding sentences
The sentence immediately preceding the target sentence notes that critics dismissed the Neogrammarian hypothesis of regular sound laws as rigid dogma.
Understanding the context establishes what claim or argument the target sentence is responding to.
2
Evaluate the pivot word and main assertion of the target sentence
The word 'Yet' signals a reversal of the critics' objection, showing that Verner's Law proved apparent anomalies were actually governed by predictable accentual patterns.
Identifying transition markers clarifies how the author builds the argument.
3
Synthesize the sentence function relative to the passage's concluding sentence
The target sentence provides the empirical findings that allow the author to conclude that Verner's work validated the Neogrammarian paradigm.
Connecting the sentence to the overall passage conclusion confirms its primary rhetorical purpose.

Key Concept

Rhetorical Structure and Sentence Function
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Topics

Rhetorical Structure and Sentence Function

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