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. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






2. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






3. The overall meaning of a text






4. Affixes - need to attach to another morpheme






5. A transformation in which you add a negation word to the sentence






6. The property of the surface structure of the text to 'hold together'






7. A transformation in which you add a negation word to the sentence






8. The Principle of cooperation that states that one does not say what is false or what you lack evidence for






9. Affix before the root






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






11. Affix before the root






12. Describing the facts - Tries to determine why people use language the way they do - seeks to find the rules that govern spoken language






13. Deals with the sounds of a language






14. The rise and fall of sentences






15. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






16. Invent new words from scratch (Xerox - Kleenex)






17. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






18. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






19. 1. Quality or timbre 2. Volume 3. Length 4. Pitch or tone






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






21. The overall meaning of a text






22. Meaning components






23. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






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






25. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






26. A single sound. K - d - t - e






27. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






29. Words that depend on the context of a sentence for meaning (I - here - now)






30. The rise and fall of sentences






31. Using the initial letters of a set of words (NFL - NASA)






32. One who knows many languages






33. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






34. The meaning derived from flouting






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






36. Occurs when words have been disambigued and a sentence has a clear meaning






37. A word that has died out






38. A transformation in which you add an auxiliary verb and switching to question format






39. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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






41. The effect an utterance has on its audience (speech act)






42. A transformation in which you add an auxiliary verb and switching to question format






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






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






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






46. Breaking a word down by the way it looks and adding morphemes (workaholic - veggieburger)






47. The meaning of a sign






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






49. Actually saying a word - what you can do






50. Parts of a word are translated from other languages to create a new word (Fernsprecher)