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 sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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






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






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






5. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






6. The overall meaning of a text






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






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






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






10. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






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






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






13. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






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






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






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






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






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






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






20. A new word






21. A sentence in context






22. Mental representation of a word






23. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






24. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






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






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






27. Actually saying a word - what you can do






28. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






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






30. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






31. Affixes - need to attach to another morpheme






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






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






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






35. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






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






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






38. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






39. What we say in a literal sense (speech act)






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






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






42. The ability to produce language - what you know






43. Deals with the sounds of a language






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






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






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






47. Actually saying a word - what you can do






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






49. The overall meaning of a text






50. Using a word from another language to create a new word (cafe - deja-vu)







Sorry!:) No result found.

Can you answer 50 questions in 15 minutes?


Let me suggest you:

Browse all subjects

Browse all tests

Most popular tests



Major Subjects

Tests & Exams


AP
CLEP
DSST
GRE
SAT
GMAT

Browse all subjects

Browse all tests

Most popular tests