Basics
Phonology
Morphology
Syntax
Semantics
100
So what the heck is linguistics?
The study of of how language works?
100
What do we call the individual sound unit that we use in phonology?
Phoneme
100
What is a "morpheme"? Provide an example.
The smallest MEANINGFUL unit in language. -est, -ing, -s, in-, un-, etc.
100
What is the fancy linguistic term for "parts of speech"?
LEXICAL CATEGORIES
100
What the heck is semantics?
The study of meaning in language.
200
The arbitrary system of signs used by humans (speakers, writers, signers) to communicate with one another
Language
200
What is the voiceless labiodental fricative?
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
200
Signifier + ________ = Sign What word goes in the blank and what is its definition?
SIGNIFIED, which is the concept to which the signifier refers (the real world object or abstract idea)
200
Apply the substitution test
The third planet is earth
IT is earth
200
What is a synonym? (Hint: what type of meaning do we relate to when making synonyms?)
Words that mean the same thing. This is usually in reference to their DENOTATIVE (or literal) meaning, not their CONNOTATIVE (determined by speaker experience) meaning. **Bonus: so are there even such things as true synonyms?
300
Is language progressing or decaying?
TRICK QUESTION: neither! Linguists avoid making such "judgments" about language; instead, we are interested in observing the patterns and figuring out what they mean for the way human communicate.
300
When someone means to say "both" but they instead say something that sounds more like /bolth/, this is an example of what phonological rule?
Epenthesis
300
"Blog" is an example of what morphological phenomenon?
Blending **What are other examples of a blend?
300
In the sentence, "The gosh-dang floobers are looking mighty fine today," what lexical category is "floobers"? How do you know?
NOUN. Nouns take determiners (the, a, an, etc.), are made plural by adding "s," are often followed by verbs, and are often preceded by adjectives.
300
Two sentences cannot be true. What relationship do they have?
contradiction
400
Which type of grammar rules establish and enforce what we should say or write according to establishing notions of "good" and "bad"?
Prescriptivist grammar
400
What is an English speaker's favorite vowel?
The wedge /^/ or the schwa /ə/
400
What is the difference between the morphological rules of ACRONYMY and INITIALISM?
Acronymy is a word formed from the initials letters of the words in a phrase and pronounced as a word. Examples?
Initialism is pronounced as a series of letters. Examples?
400
Where do complements go on a phrase structure tree?
Next to the head
400
The concept of what particular words refer to in the real world
EXTENSION
500
When someone asks you if a word is really a word (like "ain't"), how do you answer?
Any word is a real word as long it is used and understood by a community
500
I only appear when the environment is right. I never appear when my friend is near. What am I?
An allophone of a phoneme
500
How many derivational affixes are in the word
"Antidisestablishmentarianism"
six
500
Draw the structure of a phrase according to the x-bar schema
500
Provide at least 3 examples for the conceptual metaphor, GOOD IS UP
I'm on the up and up peak of health cheer up keep your chin up that boosted my spirits my spirits rose