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






2. One who knows many languages






3. Change the meaning of a word - or part of speech (ex. child -> childhood)






4. Aspects of meaning concerning other meanings of an expression that may be activated when irrelevant (cock)






5. Affix after the root






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






7. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






8. The overall meaning of a text






9. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






10. A new word






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






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






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






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






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






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






17. Affix in the middle of a word






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






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






20. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






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






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






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






24. A sentence in context






25. Words that depend on the context of a sentence for meaning (I - here - now)






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






34. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






35. The meaning derived from flouting






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






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






38. The science that studies language






39. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






40. Mental representation of a word






41. Deals with how sentences are formed






42. A word that has died out






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






44. The meaning derived from flouting






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






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






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






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






49. An utterance produced by a speaker






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