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






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






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






4. The science that studies language






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






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






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






8. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






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






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






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






12. A sentence in context






13. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






14. Meaning components






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






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






17. Affix after the root






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






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






20. Affixes - need to attach to another morpheme






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






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






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






24. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






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






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






27. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






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






29. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






40. 1. Quality or timbre 2. Volume 3. Length 4. Pitch or tone






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






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






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






44. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






45. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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






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






48. Deals with how the sounds are organized






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






50. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary