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. Deals with how the sounds are organized






3. The rise and fall of sentences






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






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






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






7. Mental representation of a word






8. The meaning of a sign






9. The meaning derived from flouting






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






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






12. Actually saying a word - what you can do






13. Deals with how the sounds are organized






14. Aspects of meaning evoked by cultural or literary codes






15. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






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






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






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






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






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






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






22. The science that studies language






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






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






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






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






27. Mental representation of a word






28. Affixes - need to attach to another morpheme






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






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






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






32. Meaning components






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






34. Affix in the middle of a word






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






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






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






38. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






39. Affix in the middle of a word






40. The meaning of a sign






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






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






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






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






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






46. The meaning derived from flouting






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






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






49. Deals with how sentences are formed






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