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






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






3. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






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






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






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






7. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






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






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






10. Affixes - need to attach to another morpheme






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






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






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






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






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






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






17. Deals with the sounds of a language






18. A sentence in context






19. The meaning derived from flouting






20. The meaning of a sign






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






22. A word that has died out






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






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






25. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






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






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






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






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






30. Affix in the middle of a word






31. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






32. Affixes - need to attach to another morpheme






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






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






35. Mental representation of a word






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






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






38. Deals with how the sounds are organized






39. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






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






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






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






43. An utterance produced by a speaker






44. An utterance produced by a speaker






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






46. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






47. Meaning components






48. The rise and fall of sentences






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






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