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






2. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






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






4. Deals with the sounds of a language






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






13. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






14. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






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






16. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






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






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






19. The overall meaning of a text






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






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






22. The meaning derived from flouting






23. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






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






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






26. An utterance produced by a speaker






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






28. Affix before the root






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






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






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






32. A syntactic phenomenon where a given constituent is in a constituent of the same kind






33. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






35. The meaning of a sign






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






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






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






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






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






41. Actually saying a word - what you can do






42. Aspects of meaning having to do with feelings or attitudes of speakers (liberal - terrorist)






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






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






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






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






47. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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






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






50. The science that studies language