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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. One who knows many languages






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






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






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






6. The meaning derived from flouting






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






8. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






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






10. Deals with how the sounds are organized






11. A new word






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






20. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






21. Deals with how the sounds are organized






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






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






24. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






25. Deals with the meaning of words - sentences - and texts






26. A word that has died out






27. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






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






29. An utterance produced by a speaker






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






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






32. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






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






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






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






36. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






38. The overall meaning of a text






39. The ability to produce language - what you know






40. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






41. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






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






43. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






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






45. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






46. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






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






48. Mental representation of a word






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






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







Sorry!:) No result found.

Can you answer 50 questions in 15 minutes?


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