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. The rise and fall of sentences






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






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






4. A sentence in context






5. Deals with how sentences are formed






6. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






7. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






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






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






10. Affix before the root






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






12. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






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






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






15. The meaning of a sign






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






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






18. Deals with the sounds of a language






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






20. Affixes - need to attach to another morpheme






21. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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






23. The science that studies language






24. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






25. An utterance produced by a speaker






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






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






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






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






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






31. A word that has died out






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






33. Deals with how sounds are put together to form words






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






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






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






37. A new word






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






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






40. Deals with how sentences are formed






41. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






42. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






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






44. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






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






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






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






48. Affix before the root






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






50. Historical - shows how language has changed through time - traces the etymology of words