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. Affix in the middle of a word






2. Meaning components






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






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






5. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






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






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






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






9. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






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






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






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






13. Blending two existing words (motel - brunch)






14. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






15. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






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






17. A new word






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






19. Deals with the sounds of a language






20. The rise and fall of sentences






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






22. Figurative use of meaning (Bob is a pig)






23. Deals with how the sounds are organized






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






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






26. The situation in which a sentence is uttered






27. Deals with how the sounds are organized






28. The meaning of a sign






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






30. Multiword units - the meaning of which is not the sum of its parts






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






32. Deals with how sentences are formed






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






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






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






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






37. An utterance produced by a speaker






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






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






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






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






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






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






44. Actually saying a word - what you can do






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






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






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






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






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






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