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. What can be deduced from the sentence's literal meaning






2. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






3. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






4. Associations that an individual/small group may develop through everyday experiences (inside joke)






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






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






7. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






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






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






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






11. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






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






13. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






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






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






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






18. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






28. Mental representation of a word






29. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






30. Deals with the sounds of a language






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






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






33. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






35. What can be deduced from the sentence's literal meaning






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






37. Actually saying a word - what you can do






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






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






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






41. Affix before the root






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






43. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






44. Using the initial letters of a set of words (NFL - NASA)






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






46. The meaning of a sign






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






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






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






50. Affix in the middle of a word