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. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






2. A new word






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






4. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






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






6. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






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






8. The meaning derived from flouting






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






10. A word that has died out






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






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






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






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






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






16. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






17. The ability to produce language - what you know






18. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






19. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






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






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






22. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






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






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






25. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






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






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






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






29. Meaning components






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






31. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






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






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






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






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






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






37. A word that has died out






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






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






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






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






42. Figurative use of meaning (Bob is a pig)






43. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






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






45. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






46. Actually saying a word - what you can do






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






48. The meaning derived from flouting






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






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