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 single sound. K - d - t - e






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






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






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






5. Affix before the root






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






7. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






8. The overall meaning of a text






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






10. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






12. Affix after the root






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






20. Affix in the middle of a word






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






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






23. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






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






25. The science that studies language






26. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






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






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






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






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






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






32. One who knows many languages






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






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






35. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






36. Meaning components






37. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






38. Meaning components






39. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






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






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






42. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






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






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






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






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






47. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






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






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






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