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






2. Affix before the root






3. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






11. An utterance produced by a speaker






12. A new word






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






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






15. A new word






16. Deals with how the sounds are organized






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






18. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






19. The meaning derived from flouting






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






21. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






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






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






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






25. An utterance produced by a speaker






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






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






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






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






30. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






31. A word that has died out






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






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






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






35. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






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






37. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






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






39. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






40. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






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






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






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






45. Parts of a word are translated from other languages to create a new word (Fernsprecher)






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






47. A sentence in context






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






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






50. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)