Test your basic knowledge |

Linguistics Basics

Subject : humanities
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






2. A transformation in which you divide the phrasal verb (Mary stood up John --> Mary stoop John up)






3. One who knows many languages






4. Used by linguists to represent sounds in the languages of the world






5. Deals with how sounds are put together to form words






6. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






7. Figurative use of meaning (Bob is a pig)






8. Aspects of meaning concerning other meanings of an expression that may be activated when irrelevant (cock)






9. Moving parts of a sentence into different positions for emphatic purposes






10. An utterance produced by a speaker






11. Mental representation of a word






12. Putting two old words together to make a new word (railway)






13. Multiword units - the meaning of which is not the sum of its parts






14. Affix before the root






15. Shift in meaning (drink a glass of water)






16. The meaning derived from flouting






17. Required by syntax - mark grammatical categories (plurality - tense - comparative - etc) suffixes only






18. A black and white - right and wrong approach to language - traditional - seeks to impose outside arbitrary rules






19. 1. Vowels (no obstruction) 2. Stops (complete obstruction) 3. Fricatives (Partial occlusion)






20. The meaning of a sign






21. Change the meaning of a word - or part of speech (ex. child -> childhood)






22. The set of sentences that must be true for the sentence to be true






23. What we say in a literal sense (speech act)






24. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






25. The principle of cooperation that states to avoid obscurity and ambiguity - be brief and orderly






26. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






27. Used by linguists to represent sounds in the languages of the world






28. Combined phonemes - the smallest unit of language with a distinct meaning






29. The rise and fall of sentences






30. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






31. A sentence in context






32. A new word






33. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






34. Describes how language words today or at any given moment in time - not concerned with origin/history






35. Aspects of meaning having to do with the linguistic environment in which the expression occurs (cease and desist)






36. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






37. The meaning of a sign






38. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






39. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






40. Associations that an individual/small group may develop through everyday experiences (inside joke)






41. The object which you can see - touch - hear - or smell






42. The fact that saying something commits you to it (vow - promise - swearing) (speech act)






43. A new word






44. The principle of cooperation that requires you be as informative as required but not more than that






45. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






46. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






47. Actually saying a word - what you can do






48. A sentence in context






49. When a public body decides which language will be taught in schools - what languages public employees must know - etc






50. Adding derivational morphemes to create new words (to fax)