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






2. A transformation in which you divide the phrasal verb (Mary stood up John --> Mary stoop John up)






3. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






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






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






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






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






8. The meaning of a sign






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






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






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






12. One who knows many languages






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






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






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






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






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






18. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






19. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






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






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






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






23. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






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






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






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






27. Affixes - need to attach to another morpheme






28. Deals with how the sounds are organized






29. Affix after the root






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






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






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






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






34. A sentence in context






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






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






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






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






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






40. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






41. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






42. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






43. Using the initial letters of a set of words (NFL - NASA)






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






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






46. The rise and fall of sentences






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






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






49. An utterance produced by a speaker






50. The fact that saying something commits you to it (vow - promise - swearing) (speech act)