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






2. Affix in the middle of a word






3. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






4. Actually saying a word - what you can do






5. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






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






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






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






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






10. Affix in the middle of a word






11. Deals with the sounds of a language






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






13. Describing the facts - Tries to determine why people use language the way they do - seeks to find the rules that govern spoken language






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






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






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






17. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






18. Mental representation of a word






19. The ability to produce language - what you know






20. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






21. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






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






23. One who knows many languages






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






25. Mental representation of a word






26. Deals with how sentences are formed






27. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






28. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






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






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






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






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






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






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






35. The meaning derived from flouting






36. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






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






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






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






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






41. Deals with how sentences are formed






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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