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 new word






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






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






4. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






5. Deals with how the sounds are organized






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






7. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






8. Actually saying a word - what you can do






9. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






10. A new word






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






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






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






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






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






16. Affixes - need to attach to another morpheme






17. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






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






20. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






21. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






22. The overall meaning of a text






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






31. The meaning derived from flouting






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






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






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






35. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






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






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






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






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






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






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






42. Affix before the root






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






44. Actually saying a word - what you can do






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






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






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






48. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






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






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