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. Meaning components






2. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






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






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






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






6. The rise and fall of sentences






7. An utterance produced by a speaker






8. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






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






10. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






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






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






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






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






15. Breaking a word down by the way it looks and adding morphemes (workaholic - veggieburger)






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






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






18. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






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






20. A new word






21. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






30. A word that has died out






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






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






33. A new word






34. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






35. A sentence in context






36. Deals with how the sounds are organized






37. The overall meaning of a text






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






39. Deals with the sounds of a language






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






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






42. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






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






45. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






46. The meaning of a sign






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






48. Deals with how sentences are formed






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






50. Affix in the middle of a word