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. Deals with the sounds of a language






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






11. Two linked turns by different speakers which make sense only taken together (How are you? Fine. How about you?)






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






13. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






14. Affix in the middle of a word






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






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






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






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






19. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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






21. Two linked turns by different speakers which make sense only taken together (How are you? Fine. How about you?)






22. Affix in the middle of a word






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






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






25. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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






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






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






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






30. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






31. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






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






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






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






35. A sentence in context






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






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






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






39. The meaning of a sign






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






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






42. Mental representation of a word






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






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






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






46. The meaning of a sign






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






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






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






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