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. Shift in meaning (drink a glass of water)






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






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






4. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






5. Affix after the root






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






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






8. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






9. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






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






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






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






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






14. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






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






16. Deals with how sentences are formed






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






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






19. Meaning components






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






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






22. A black and white - right and wrong approach to language - traditional - seeks to impose outside arbitrary rules






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






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






25. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






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






27. Affix in the middle of a word






28. One who knows many languages






29. Affix before the root






30. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






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






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






33. Affix in the middle of a word






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






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






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






37. A word that has died out






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






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






40. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






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






42. A sentence in context






43. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






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






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






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






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






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






49. Affix before the root






50. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)