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. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






2. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






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






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






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






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






7. Deals with how sentences are formed






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






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






10. Mental representation of a word






11. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






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






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






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






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






17. Meaning components






18. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






19. Mental representation of a word






20. Deals with how the sounds are organized






21. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






22. A sentence in context






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






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






25. Deals with how sentences are formed






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






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






28. The meaning of a sign






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






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






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






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






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






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






35. Affix in the middle of a word






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






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






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






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






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






41. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






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






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






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






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






47. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






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






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






50. How sentences and texts are used in the world(context)