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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 connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






2. Affix before the root






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






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






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






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






7. Using a word from another language to create a new word (cafe - deja-vu)






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






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






10. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






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






12. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






13. Actually saying a word - what you can do






14. A sentence in context






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






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






17. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






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






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






20. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






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






22. The ability to produce language - what you know






23. The science that studies language






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






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






26. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






39. Meaning components






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






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






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






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






44. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






45. The overall meaning of a text






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






47. The rise and fall of sentences






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






49. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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







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