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






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






3. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






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






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






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






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






8. Actually saying a word - what you can do






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






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






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






12. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






13. The science that studies language






14. The rise and fall of sentences






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






16. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






17. Actually saying a word - what you can do






18. The overall meaning of a text






19. The ability to produce language - what you know






20. An utterance produced by a speaker






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






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






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






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






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






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






27. Deals with the sounds of a language






28. One who knows many languages






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






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






31. An utterance produced by a speaker






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






33. The principle of cooperation that requires you be as informative as required but not more than that






34. Affix after the root






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






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






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






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






39. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






41. Deals with how the sounds are organized






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






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






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






45. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






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






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






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






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






50. The sequence of sounds that make up a word