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 object which you can see - touch - hear - or smell






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






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






4. The meaning derived from flouting






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






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






7. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






8. Affix before the root






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






10. One who knows many languages






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






12. A new word






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






14. Deals with how sentences are formed






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






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






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






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






19. A word that has died out






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






21. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






22. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






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






24. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






32. Meaning components






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






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






35. Morphemes that can appear alone (cat)






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






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






38. The connection between shape and meaning is arbitrary






39. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






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






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






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






43. A sentence in context






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






45. Affix after the root






46. Deals with the sounds of a language






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






48. A black and white - right and wrong approach to language - traditional - seeks to impose outside arbitrary rules






49. The principle of cooperation that requires relevance






50. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words