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 vocabulary of a speaker/language






2. Affixes - need to attach to another morpheme






3. The meaning derived from flouting






4. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






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






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






7. A new word






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






9. Deals with how sentences are formed






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






11. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






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






13. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






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






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






16. Two linked turns by different speakers which make sense only taken together (How are you? Fine. How about you?)






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






18. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






19. Affix after the root






20. Deals with how sentences are formed






21. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






22. Deals with the sounds of a language






23. Affix before the root






24. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






25. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






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






27. The science that studies language






28. Actually saying a word - what you can do






29. The science that studies language






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






31. One who knows many languages






32. The rise and fall of sentences






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






34. Affix after the root






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






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






37. What we say in a literal sense (speech act)






38. A word that has died out






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






40. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






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






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






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






45. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






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






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






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






49. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






50. The situation in which a sentence is uttered