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Linguistics 101 Trivia Quiz

This is just some more information that you can pick up in a basic Linguistics course.

A multiple-choice quiz by ladymacb29. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
ladymacb29

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
69,537

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
5990

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 129 (7/10), Guest 14 (7/10), leequ (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which of the following is NOT part of grammar of spoken languages? Hint

Intonation

Sound patterns

Word meanings

Sentence structure

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Question 2 of 10

2. Which of the following is NOT needed for something to be called a language? Hint

Autonomy - speakers view it as a language

Over 10,000 people use it

Norms for proper usage

Standardization - is there an agreed upon dictionary in the language or its dialects?

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which of the following is not a dialect of English? Hint

Slang

Buffalo

American

Southern

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Question 4 of 10

4. A language can be made up of various dialect(s).

True

False

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Question 5 of 10

5. What is the dominant accent in the United States? Hint

Midwest

Canadian

Southern

General American

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Question 6 of 10

6. Which of the following is not part of a grammar (in a linguistic sense) of a language? Hint

The number of people who use it

Morphology

Phonology

Semantics

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Question 7 of 10

7. This deals with the distinctive sounds that are combined to make words. Hint

phonology

semantics

morphology

lexicon

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Question 8 of 10

8. The dictionary of a language can be called: Hint

pragmatics

semantics

lexicon

grammar

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Question 9 of 10

9. Morphology is what? Hint

In what order words are put in a sentence.

How a word's meaning evolves over time.

The way a language builds words by putting small, meaningful units together.

How a word's spelling evolves over time.

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Question 10 of 10

10. Most English teachers concentrate on teaching you: Hint

descriptive grammar

unilateral grammar

French

prescriptive grammar

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 24 2024 : Guest 129: 7/10
Apr 23 2024 : Guest 14: 7/10
Apr 20 2024 : leequ: 10/10
Apr 18 2024 : Guest 105: 6/10
Apr 08 2024 : Guest 105: 3/10
Apr 06 2024 : Guest 37: 7/10
Mar 25 2024 : Guest 45: 9/10
Mar 18 2024 : Guest 223: 5/10
Mar 14 2024 : Guest 217: 7/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of the following is NOT part of grammar of spoken languages?

Answer: Intonation

Intonation is pitch and the 'rhythm' and 'tune' of speech. It is often important for the meaning. For example, in English (and many other languages) a statement can be turned into a question by using a 'rising' intonation.

2. Which of the following is NOT needed for something to be called a language?

Answer: Over 10,000 people use it

There are some languages which only have a couple people speaking them, yet they are still considered a language.

3. Which of the following is not a dialect of English?

Answer: Slang

4. A language can be made up of various dialect(s).

Answer: True

A dialect is a sub-variety of a language. If there are 2 varieties of a language that are mutually intelligible, that usually means they are dialects of the same language.

5. What is the dominant accent in the United States?

Answer: General American

That's the accent that all TV newscasters try to speak with.

6. Which of the following is not part of a grammar (in a linguistic sense) of a language?

Answer: The number of people who use it

7. This deals with the distinctive sounds that are combined to make words.

Answer: phonology

8. The dictionary of a language can be called:

Answer: lexicon

9. Morphology is what?

Answer: The way a language builds words by putting small, meaningful units together.

A morpheme is a small, meaningful unit. Take the word 'blackboard' - the two morphemes are 'black' and board'.

10. Most English teachers concentrate on teaching you:

Answer: prescriptive grammar

Descriptive grammar is the way actual living people use the language, while prescriptive is what you are supposed to do.

Source: Author ladymacb29

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ponycargirl before going online.
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