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 having to do with different levels of formality






2. Deals with the sounds of a language






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






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






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






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






7. Affix after the root






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






9. Mental representation of a word






10. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






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






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






13. The meaning derived from flouting






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






15. Affix in the middle of a word






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






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






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






19. Deals with the sounds of a language






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






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






22. The science that studies language






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






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






25. All aspects of meaning that go beyond the sense of the word - or the literal meaning






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






36. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






37. Deals with how the sounds are organized






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






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






40. The meaning of a sign






41. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






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






43. Deals with how sentences are formed






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






45. Meaning components






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






47. A word that has died out






48. Affix before the root






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






50. A new word