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






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






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






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






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






7. Meaning components






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






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






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






11. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






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






13. Actually saying a word - what you can do






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






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






16. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






17. The meaning of a sign






18. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






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






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






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






22. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






23. One who knows many languages






24. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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






26. The overall meaning of a text






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






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






29. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






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






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






32. The overall meaning of a text






33. Meaning components






34. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






35. One who knows many languages






36. Affixes - need to attach to another morpheme






37. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






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






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






41. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






42. The rise and fall of sentences






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






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






45. A word that has died out






46. An utterance produced by a speaker






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






48. A sentence in context






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






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