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






2. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






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






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






5. Deals with the sounds of a language






6. The rise and fall of sentences






7. Mental representation of a word






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






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






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






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






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






13. Affix in the middle of a word






14. How sentences and texts are used in the world(context)






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






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






17. Affixes - need to attach to another morpheme






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






19. The meaning of a sign






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






21. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






22. An utterance produced by a speaker






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






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






25. A transformation in which you change the voice of the sentence (Mary stoop up John --> John was stood up by Mary)






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






27. Aspects of meaning having to do with different levels of formality






28. A transformation in which you shift the object of a sentence (Mary gave a book to John --> Mary gave John a book)






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






30. A sentence in context






31. Affixes - need to attach to another morpheme






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






33. Deals with how sentences are formed






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






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






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






37. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






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






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






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






41. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






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






43. Deals with how sentences are formed






44. The overall meaning of a text






45. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






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






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






49. 1. Airstream 2. Phonation 3. Nasalization 4. Articulation






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







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Can you answer 50 questions in 15 minutes?


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