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 vocabulary of a speaker/language






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






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






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






5. Putting two old words together to make a new word (railway)






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






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






8. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






9. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






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






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






12. The rise and fall of sentences






13. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






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






15. Affix after the root






16. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






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






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






19. The science that studies language






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






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






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






23. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






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






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






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






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






28. Meaning components






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






30. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






32. Associations that an individual/small group may develop through everyday experiences (inside joke)






33. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






34. The meaning derived from flouting






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






36. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






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






38. The rise and fall of sentences






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






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






41. Mental representation of a word






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






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






44. Putting two old words together to make a new word (railway)






45. A sentence in context






46. Affix in the middle of a word






47. The overall meaning of a text






48. Meaning components






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






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