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. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






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






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






4. Occurs when words have been disambigued and a sentence has a clear meaning






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






6. Actually saying a word - what you can do






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






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






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






10. Deals with how sentences are formed






11. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






12. Affix before the root






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






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






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






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






17. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






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






20. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






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






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






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






24. A word that has died out






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






36. An utterance produced by a speaker






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






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






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






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






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






42. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






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






44. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






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






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






47. Deals with how sentences are formed






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






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






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