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






2. The meaning of a sign






3. The branch of pragmatics that studies deictic words






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






5. Affix before the root






6. A new word






7. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






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






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






10. A transformation in which you add a negation word to the sentence






11. A syntactic phenomenon where a given constituent is in a constituent of the same kind






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






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






14. An utterance produced by a speaker






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






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






17. Having more than one meaning (polysemy)






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






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






20. The ability to produce language - what you know






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






22. Actually saying a word - what you can do






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






32. The sequence of sounds that make up a word






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






34. A sentence in which no transformation has been applied






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






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






37. A word that has died out






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






45. A syntactic phenomenon where a given constituent is in a constituent of the same kind






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






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






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






49. One who knows many languages






50. The overall meaning of a text