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 effect an utterance has on its audience (speech act)






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






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






4. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






5. A word that has died out






6. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






8. Two linked turns by different speakers which make sense only taken together (How are you? Fine. How about you?)






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






10. The meaning of a sign






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






12. 1. Representations 2. Directives 3. Expressives 4. Commissives 5. Declaratives






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






14. Affix after the root






15. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






16. Two linked turns by different speakers which make sense only taken together (How are you? Fine. How about you?)






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






18. Deals with how the sounds are organized






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






20. A word that has died out






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






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






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






24. The rise and fall of sentences






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






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






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






28. Deals with how the sounds are organized






29. Shortening a longer word (phone - auto) to create new words






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






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






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






33. A sentence in context






34. Two words of different meanings that differ in only one phoneme (bit and pit - dog and dock)






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






36. The science that studies language






37. Aspects of meaning having to do with feelings or attitudes of speakers (liberal - terrorist)






38. Mental representation of a word






39. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






40. The overall meaning of a text






41. All aspects of meaning that go beyond the sense of the word - or the literal meaning






42. Historical - shows how language has changed through time - traces the etymology of words






43. All aspects of meaning that go beyond the sense of the word - or the literal meaning






44. A syntactic phenomenon where a given constituent is in a constituent of the same kind






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






46. Affix before the root






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






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






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






50. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance