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. Actually saying a word - what you can do






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






3. Affix after the root






4. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






5. Meaning components






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






7. Mental representation of a word






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






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






10. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






11. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






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






13. A word that has died out






14. Deals with how sentences are formed






15. A word that has died out






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






32. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






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






34. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






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






36. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






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






39. Meaning components






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






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






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






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






44. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






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






46. Affixes - need to attach to another morpheme






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






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






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






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