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. The meaning of a sign






2. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






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






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






5. One who knows many languages






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






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






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






9. Meaning components






10. Actually saying a word - what you can do






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






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






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






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






15. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






16. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






17. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






18. The meaning derived from flouting






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






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






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






22. Mental representation of a word






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






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






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






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






27. Affix before the root






28. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






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






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






31. Affix before the root






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






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






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






35. Deals with how sentences are formed






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






37. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






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






39. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






41. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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






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






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






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






46. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






47. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






48. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






49. The meaning derived from flouting






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