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 new word






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






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






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






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






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






7. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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






9. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






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






11. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






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






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






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






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






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






17. A transformation in which you shift the object of a sentence (Mary gave a book to John --> Mary gave John a book)






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






19. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






20. The object which you can see - touch - hear - or smell






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






22. Affix in the middle of a word






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






24. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






25. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






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






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






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






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






31. The science that studies language






32. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






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






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






35. The rise and fall of sentences






36. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






37. The meaning derived from flouting






38. Affix after the root






39. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






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






41. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






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






43. One who knows many languages






44. Affix in the middle of a word






45. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






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






48. A sentence in context






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






50. A word that has died out