GATE Linguistics Syllabus 2025 - Download Topics Wise Syllabus PDF

GATE Linguistics Syllabus 2025 - Download Topics Wise Syllabus PDF

Edited By Vikash Kumar Vishwakarma | Updated on Jan 29, 2025 04:00 PM IST | #GATE

GATE Linguistics Syllabus 2025 (XH-C3) - IIT Roorkee uploaded the GATE 2025 Linguistics syllabus pdf online at, gate2025.iitr.ac.in. The GATE linguistics syllabus 2025 pdf download link is provided below. GATE Linguistics is a paper section out of the Humanities and Social Sciences (XH Paper). Candidates appearing in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering for the linguistics paper must refer to the GATE syllabus for linguistics available on this page. The GATE Linguistics syllabus 2025 comprises topics based on Language and Linguistics, Levels of Grammar and Grammatical Analysis, Historical Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Methods of Analysis, Applied Linguistics, Areal Typology, Universals, Cross-linguistic Features. IIT Roorkee will conduct the IIT GATE 2025 exam as a computer-based test on February 1, 2, 15 & 16.
Direct link to download the GATE 2025 Linguistics Syllabus

GATE Linguistics Syllabus 2025 - Download Topics Wise Syllabus PDF
GATE Linguistics Syllabus 2025 - Download Topics Wise Syllabus PDF

GATE Linguistics Syllabus 2025 (XH-C3)

Aspirants can check the complete syllabus of GATE 2025 Linguistics here.

GATE 2025 Linguistics Syllabus (XH-C3)

Syllabus

Topics

GATE Linguistics syllabus for Language and Linguistics

  • Language spoken, written and signed

  • Description and prescription

  • Language and cultural heritage

  • Language and social identity

  • Language as an object of inquiry – its structure, units and components

  • Design features

  • Writing systems

  • Biological Foundations and Language faculty

  • Linguistic competence and performance

  • Levels of grammar

  • Contrast and complementation

  • Rules - context-dependent and context-free

  • Levels of adequacy for analysis

  • Interdisciplinary approaches

  • Schools of linguistic thought (European, American) and the Indian Grammatical Tradition

GATE Linguistics syllabus for Levels of Grammar and Grammatical Analysis

A. Phonetics and Phonology: Vocal tract anatomy; phonation; articulatory parameters; classification of sounds; gestural theory of speech production; cardinal vowels; secondary and coarticulation; suprasegmentals - length, stress, tone, intonation and juncture; IPA; basic physics of sound and phonation and articulation; acoustic cues for speech sounds; organisation of phones into phonemes; phoneme inventories and cross-linguistic properties; syllable structure and phonological properties; principles of phonological analysis - phonetic similarity, contrastive and complementary distribution, free variation, allophones; linear and non-linear approaches; levels of representation; phonological rules; distinctive features (major class, manner, place, etc.); feature geometry; rule ordering, markedness and unspecified featural values; core principles of lexical phonology, optimality theory, autosegmental phonology and prosodic morphology.

B. Morphology: Concepts of morpheme, morph, allomorph, zero allomorph, conditions on allomorphs; lexeme and word; types of morphemes – structural and functional; affixes vs clitics; grammatical categories; morphological theories – generative, lexicalist, process and distributed morphology; identification of morphemes and parts of speech; alternation; morphophonology; inflection vs. derivation; conjugation and declension; word creation and word formation rules and processes; creativity and productivity, blocking, bracketing paradoxes, constraints on affix ordering; mental lexicon; lexical categories; valency changing operations.

C. Syntax: Basic syntactic units and their types: word, phrase, clause, sentence and their description and generation; grammatical and case relations; key ideas from syntactic theories, Generative Grammars including Minimalist Program, HPSG, Relational Grammar and Lexical Functional Grammar; phrase structure rules (including X-bar theory); universal grammar and cross-linguistic properties; idea of grammaticality judgements; solving the language acquisition problem; diagnostics of structure; syntactic phenomena such as movement, binding, ellipses, case-checking, islands, argument structure etc.; unergatives and unaccusatives.

D. Semantics and Pragmatics: Types of meaning, lexical and compositional; syntax-semantics interface (semantic roles, binding, scope, LF etc.); sense and reference, connotation and denotation, lexical semantic relations (homonymy, hypo/hypernymy, antonymy, synonymy, ambiguity); prototype theory and componential analysis; sentence meaning and truth conditions, contradictions, entailment; basic set theory; propositions, truth values, sentential connectives; arguments, predicates, quantifiers, variables; in/definiteness, mood and modality; language use in context; sentence meaning and utterance meaning; speech acts; deixis; presupposition and implicature: Gricean maxims; information structure; politeness, power and solidarity; discourse analysis.

GATE Linguistics syllabus for Historical Linguistics

  • Neogrammarian laws of phonetic change such as Grimm’s, Verner’s, Grassmann’s Laws

  • Genesis and spread of sound change; split and merger

  • Conditioned vs. unconditioned change

  • Lexical diffusion of sound change

  • Analogical changes and paradigm levelling

  • Relative chronology of different changes

  • Study of sound change in progress

  • Morphosyntactic (syncretism, grammaticalisation and lexicalisation) and semantic change (extension, narrowing, figurative speech)

  • Linguistic reconstruction - external vs. internal: the comparative method; lexicostatistics

  • Language contact and dialect geography – borrowing and impact of borrowing

  • Pidgins and creoles

  • Bi- and multilingualism as the source for borrowing

  • Dialect geography - dialect atlas

  • Isogloss, focal, transition and relic areas.

GATE Linguistics syllabus for Sociolinguistics
  • Micro-and macro approaches to language in society
  • Linguistic repertoire language, dialect, sociolect, idiolect
  • Diglossia
  • Taboo, slang and euphemism
  • Elaborated and restricted codes
  • Speech community and communicative competence
  • Ethnography of speaking; lingua franca
  • Diasporic language
  • Linguistic variables and their co-variation along linguistic/social dimensions
  • Language policies and development (especially in India)
  • Language contact and outcomes (language loss, pidginization and creolization)
  • Code-mixing and code-switching
  • Language movements – state and societal interventions; script development and modifications
  • Linguistic minorities
  • Language ecology and endangerment linguistic vitality, language endangerment (EGIDS scale), parameters of endangerment, documentation and revitalisation.
GATE Linguistics syllabus for Areal Typology, Universals, Cross-linguistic Features
  • Morphological types of languages agglutinative, analytical (isolating), synthetic fusional (inflecting), polysynthetic (incorporating) languages
  • Formal and substantive universals, absolute and statistical universals
  • Implicational and non-implicational universals (Greenberg)
  • Linguistic relatedness—genetic, typological and areal classification of languages
  • Universals and parametric variation
  • Word order typology
  • Salient features of South Asian languages - Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Austro-Asiatic, and Tibeto-Burman language families
  • Linguistic Survey of India
  • Contact induced typological change.
GATE Linguistics syllabus for Methods of Analysis
  • Experimental and non-experimental methods
  • Sampling and tools
  • Identification of variables and their variants
  • Data processing and interpretation
  • Quantitative analysis of data
  • Ethnomethodology
  • Participant observation
  • Field methods and elicitation
  • Document creation
  • Ethics
GATE Linguistics syllabus for Applied Linguistics
  • Psycholinguistics — the study of how humans learn, represent, comprehend, and produce language. Topics include word recognition and storage, sentence production and comprehension, reading, speech perception, language acquisition, neural representation of language, bilingualism, and language disorders.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is the GATE 2025 syllabus released?

Yes, IIT Roorkee has released the syllabus for GATE 2025.

2. When should I start preparing for GATE 2025?

Aspirants can start their preparation for GATE 2025 as soon as possible. Early preparation will lend you extra time for revision.

3. Is the GATE syllabus changed every year?

No, But any changes in the GATE syllabus shall be intimated to the students. 

4. What is the GATE 2025 exam date?

GATE exam 2025 will be held on February 1, 2, 15, and 16.

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Questions related to GATE

Have a question related to GATE ?

Hello Ansh,

Whether you can get admission in the Computer Science (CS) or Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) branch depends on several key factors:

  • Entrance Exam Rank/Score : Your performance in entrance exams like JEE Mains, JEE Advanced, state-level exams (like KCET, AP EAMCET, TS EAMCET), or university-specific exams plays a major role. A high rank increases your chances for CS or ECE.

  • Category and Reservation : SC, ST, OBC, EWS, or other reserved categories may have lower cut-off ranks for CS and ECE branches.

  • College Preference : Top colleges like IITs, NITs, IIITs, and top private universities have higher cut-offs for CS and ECE. Mid-tier or private colleges may offer more flexibility with lower ranks.

  • State Quota vs. All India Quota : Home state students often have a better chance under the state quota.

  • Gender-Based Quotas : Some institutions offer female-only seats or relaxed cut-offs for girls.

If you mention your entrance exam name, rank or percentile, category, and state, I can give a more specific answer.


I hope this answer helps you. If you have more queries, feel free to share your questions with us, and we will be happy to assist you.

Thank you, and I wish you all the best in your bright future.

Hello there,

Yes, you can get admission to M.Tech at CBIT without a GATE score by qualifying through TSPGECET.

  • You must have a B.Tech or equivalent degree in a related field.

  • If you have a valid TSPGECET rank, you can apply under the regular counseling process (Category A).

  • If you do not have a TSPGECET rank, you may apply under Category B (management quota), where admission is based on your qualifying degree marks and seat availability.

  • M.Tech specializations at CBIT include Computer Science Engineering, Computer Networks and Information Security, Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, and Information Technology.

  • Cutoff ranks for TSPGECET vary every year depending on competition and seats.

  • Category B admissions do not have a fixed cutoff; selection depends on merit and seat availability.

For exact cutoffs and seat details, you need to check with CBIT or the Telangana State Council of Higher Education during the admission process.


I hope this answer helps you. If you have more queries, feel free to share your questions with us, and we will be happy to assist you.

Thank you, and I wish you all the best in your bright future.

GATE BT (Biotechnology) score of 350, you have a good chance of securing admission to Delhi Technological University (DTU) for M.Tech in Biotechnology or related programs.

DTU M.Tech Admission via GATE

  1. Eligibility Criteria:

    • You must have a valid GATE score in Biotechnology (BT) or a related discipline.

    • A minimum of 60% (or equivalent CGPA) in your B.Tech/B.E (Biotech or related field) from a recognized university.

Cutoff Trends :

DTU's cutoff for GATE BT usually ranges between 300-400 (varies yearly based on competition.

Unfortunately, you've missed the GATE 2025 exam registration deadline, which was initially September 20, 2024, and later extended to October 3, 2024, for regular registration, with a late fee option available until October 7, 2024. Since the exam dates are already scheduled for February 1, 2, 15, and 16, 2025, you won't be able to apply for this year's exam.


However, here are some potential options to consider:


- Prepare for GATE 2026: You can start preparing for the next year's exam, ensuring you meet the eligibility criteria and stay updated on the application process.

- Explore other exams: Look into other entrance exams for postgraduate programs, such as those offered by individual universities or institutions.

- Check eligibility for other programs: If you're interested in pursuing a postgraduate degree, research other programs that don't require GATE scores.


To better prepare for future exams, focus on

- Understanding the syllabus: Familiarize yourself with the exam pattern, syllabus, and marking scheme.

- Creating a study plan: Develop a structured study schedule, covering all relevant topics.

- Practicing with mock tests: Regularly take practice tests to assess your knowledge and identify areas for improvement.


Keep in mind that GATE scores are valid for three years, so if you plan to take the exam in 2026, your score will be valid until 2029.

Hello there,

With a GATE Electrical Engineering (EE) score of 630, getting admission to the M.Tech program in Instrumentation and Integrated Electronics at IIT Kharagpur is unlikely.

Key points:

  • The closing GATE score for this program in 2024 was around 608 for the general category.

  • For reserved categories, cutoffs are lower (OBC around 573, SC around 337, ST around 248).

  • Admission depends on GATE score and sometimes an interview.

Recommendations:

  • You can consider applying to other IITs or NITs where your score may meet the cutoff for similar courses.

  • Explore other reputed institutes offering M.Tech in Instrumentation and Electronics.

  • If this field is important for you, consider preparing to improve your GATE score for the next attempt.


I hope this answer helps you. If you have more queries, feel free to share your questions with us, and we will be happy to assist you.

Thank you, and I wish you all the best in your bright future.


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