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 sequence of sounds that make up a word






2. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






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






4. The science that studies language






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






6. Deals with the sounds of a language






7. The word that connects the meaning and the referent






8. The science that studies language






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






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






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






12. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






13. A word that has died out






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






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






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






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






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






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






20. The meaning derived from flouting






21. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






22. An utterance produced by a speaker






23. A sentence in context






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






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






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






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






28. Provides information about the group to which individuals belong






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






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






31. The overall meaning of a text






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






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






34. The set of sentences that must be true for the sentence to be true






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






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






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






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






39. The vocabulary of a speaker/language






40. The rise and fall of sentences






41. Affix in the middle of a word






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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