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. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






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






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






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






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






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






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






8. Affix in the middle of a word






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






10. Mental representation of a word






11. A word that has died out






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






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






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






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






16. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






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






18. What can be deduced from the sentence's literal meaning






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






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






21. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






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






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






24. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






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






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






27. Deals with the sounds of a language






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






35. A new word






36. Adding derivational morphemes to create new words (to fax)






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






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






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






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






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






42. A sentence in context






43. The science that studies language






44. Deals with the sounds of a language






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






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






47. What can be deduced from the sentence's literal meaning






48. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






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