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






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






3. Affix in the middle of a word






4. Meanings of the same word that are unrelated (bank)






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






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






7. Deals with the sounds of a language






8. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






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






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






11. Purposefully violating one of the principles/maxims of cooperation






12. Meaning components






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






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






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






16. A new word






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






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






19. One who knows many languages






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






21. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






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






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






24. Affix in the middle of a word






25. Actually saying a word - what you can do






26. Noam Chomsky's idea that the principles that govern grammar are genetically programmed in human beings






27. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






29. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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






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






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






33. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






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






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






36. Core meaning - corresponds to a sign's sense or intension - the literal meaning of a word






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






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






39. A word that has died out






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






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






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






43. One who knows many languages






44. The meaning of a sign






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






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






47. Meanings of the same word that are unrelated (bank)






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






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






50. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary