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. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






2. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






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






4. Mental representation of a word






5. The meaning of a sign






6. A sentence in context






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






8. The ability to produce language - what you know






9. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






10. Deals with how the sounds are organized






11. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






12. The meaning derived from flouting






13. The science that studies language






14. Multiword units - the meaning of which is not the sum of its parts






15. The set of sentences that must be true for the sentence to be true






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






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






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






19. One who knows many languages






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






21. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






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






23. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






24. The rise and fall of sentences






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






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






27. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






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






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






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






31. A new word






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






33. The rise and fall of sentences






34. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






35. Meaning components






36. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






37. Affix in the middle of a word






38. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






39. The principle of cooperation that states to avoid obscurity and ambiguity - be brief and orderly






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






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






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






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






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






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






46. Deals with the sounds of a language






47. A sentence in context






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






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






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