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. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






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






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






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






5. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






6. Deals with how the sounds are organized






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






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






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






10. One who knows many languages






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






12. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






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






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






15. The overall meaning of a text






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






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






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






19. Affix before the root






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






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






22. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






23. Actually saying a word - what you can do






24. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






26. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






34. A word that has died out






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






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






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






38. The meaning of a sign






39. Deals with the sounds of a language






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






41. The meaning of a sign






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






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






44. Affix before the root






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






46. Mental representation of a word






47. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






48. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






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






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