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. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






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






3. Deals with how the sounds are organized






4. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






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






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






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






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






9. A transformation in which you add a negation word to the sentence






10. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






12. Affix in the middle of a word






13. Actually saying a word - what you can do






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






15. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






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






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






19. Aspects of meaning having to do with different levels of formality






20. Mental representation of a word






21. A new word






22. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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






24. The rise and fall of sentences






25. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






26. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






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






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






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






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






31. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






44. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






45. The rise and fall of sentences






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






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






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






49. Deals with the sounds of a language






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