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






2. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






3. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






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






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






6. The ability to produce language - what you know






7. A sentence in context






8. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






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






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






11. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






12. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






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






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






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






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






17. One who knows many languages






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






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






20. Mental representation of a word






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






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






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






24. Actually saying a word - what you can do






25. The rise and fall of sentences






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






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






28. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






29. A word that has died out






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






31. Deals with how the sounds are organized






32. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






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






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






36. Used by linguists to represent sounds in the languages of the world






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






38. The rise and fall of sentences






39. Meaning components






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






41. Breaking a word down by the way it looks and adding morphemes (workaholic - veggieburger)






42. Mental representation of a word






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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