20. What is the main topic of the passage? *
(A) Sound changes that have occurred in language
(B) A theory of sound change
(C) Some exceptions to the rule of sound change
(D) Some reasons for sound change
21. Leskien developed the term "sound law” because he believed that *
(A) sounds change in a certain pattern without exception
(B) amendments were needed to existing sound change theories
(C) physical laws should not be applied to linguistic theory
(D) a general law and several qualifiers could explain sound change
22. The author of the passage implies that regular sound change is caused by *
(A) knowledge of linguistic and physical laws
(B) new pronunciations being proposed by linguists
(C) influence from foreign languages
(D) structural forces within language
23. It can be inferred from the passage that *
(A) linguists cannot observe sound change in language today
(B) linguists feel that language laws have changed more in recent years than in the past
(C) a language will sound different in five centuries from the way it does now
(D) all languages eventually die out