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






2. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






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






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






5. Affix after the root






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






7. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






9. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






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






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






12. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






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






14. The science that studies language






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






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






17. Affix before the root






18. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






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






20. 1. Vowels (no obstruction) 2. Stops (complete obstruction) 3. Fricatives (Partial occlusion)






21. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






22. Deals with the sounds of a language






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






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






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






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






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






28. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






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






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






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






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






34. The overall meaning of a text






35. Deals with how the sounds are organized






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






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






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






39. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






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






41. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






42. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






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






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






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






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






47. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






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






50. A sentence in context