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






2. A word that has died out






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






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






5. Using a word from another language to create a new word (cafe - deja-vu)






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






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






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






9. The meaning of a sign






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






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






12. The meaning of a sign






13. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






14. Deals with how sentences are formed






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






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






17. The overall meaning of a text






18. Deals with the sounds of a language






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






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






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






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






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






24. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






37. The rise and fall of sentences






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






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






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






41. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






42. The science that studies language






43. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






44. The science that studies language






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






46. Deals with how the sounds are organized






47. One who knows many languages






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






49. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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