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






2. A sentence in context






3. Deals with how sentences are formed






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






15. Deals with how sentences are formed






16. One who knows many languages






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






18. Deals with how the sounds are organized






19. Actually saying a word - what you can do






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






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






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






23. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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






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






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






27. How sentences and texts are used in the world(context)






28. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






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






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






31. The rise and fall of sentences






32. The overall meaning of a text






33. Affix in the middle of a word






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






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






36. When a public body decides which language will be taught in schools - what languages public employees must know - etc






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






38. Meaning components






39. Deals with the sounds of a language






40. The meaning of a sign






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






48. The meaning derived from flouting






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






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