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. A sentence in context






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






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






4. The meaning derived from flouting






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






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






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






8. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






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






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






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






12. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






13. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






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






15. One who knows many languages






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






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






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






19. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






20. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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






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






23. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






24. Mental representation of a word






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






26. A word that has died out






27. Deals with how the sounds are organized






28. Affix before the root






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






37. The meaning of a sign






38. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






39. One who knows many languages






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






41. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






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






44. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






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






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






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






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






49. Deals with how the sounds are organized






50. A new word