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






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






3. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






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






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






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






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






8. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






9. One who knows many languages






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






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






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






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






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






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






16. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






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






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






19. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






20. Affix before the root






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






22. Actually saying a word - what you can do






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






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






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






26. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






27. The meaning of a sign






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






29. Actually saying a word - what you can do






30. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






32. The effect an utterance has on its audience (speech act)






33. Affixes - need to attach to another morpheme






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






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






36. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






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






38. Meaning components






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






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






41. Affix after the root






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






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






44. Deals with the sounds of a language






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






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






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






48. A word that has died out






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






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