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. Meaning components






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






3. Actually saying a word - what you can do






4. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






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






6. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






15. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






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






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






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






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






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






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






22. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






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






24. The overall meaning of a text






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






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






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






28. Deals with how sentences are formed






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






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






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






32. Affixes - need to attach to another morpheme






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






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






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






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






37. An utterance produced by a speaker






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






39. The overall meaning of a text






40. The meaning of a sign






41. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






42. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






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






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






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






46. Deals with how the sounds are organized






47. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






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






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






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