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. Purposefully violating one of the principles/maxims of cooperation






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






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






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






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






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






7. A new word






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






9. A new word






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






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






12. An utterance produced by a speaker






13. Deals with how the sounds are organized






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






15. Putting two old words together to make a new word (railway)






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






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






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






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






20. The rise and fall of sentences






21. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






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






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






24. Affix after the root






25. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






26. Putting two old words together to make a new word (railway)






27. Affix before the root






28. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






29. Deals with how sentences are formed






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






31. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






32. The science that studies language






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






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






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






36. The overall meaning of a text






37. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






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






39. The meaning derived from flouting






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






41. Deals with the sounds of a language






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






43. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






44. Deals with how the sounds are organized






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






46. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






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






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






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