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






2. A new word






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






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






5. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






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






7. The science that studies language






8. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






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






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






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






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






13. Affix in the middle of a word






14. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






15. Mental representation of a word






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






25. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






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






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






28. The science that studies language






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






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






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






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






33. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






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






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






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






37. A new word






38. A sentence in context






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






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






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






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






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






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






45. Meaning components






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






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






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






49. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






50. A syntactic phenomenon where a given constituent is in a constituent of the same kind