Semantics of English

Practice Test 14

1. . This attempts to analyze the structure of meaning in language and deals with the
level of meaning in language.

a. Syntax c. Pragmatics
b. Semantics d. Sociolinguistics
2. This refers to the characteristic of a word that has more than one meaning. Where
a word is associated with more than one distinct sense or concept.

a. Lexical ambiguity c. reference

b. Syntactic ambiguity d. meaning
3. This refers to the characteristic of a phrase that has more than one meaning e.g.
Filipino teacher.

a. Lexical ambiguity c. reference

b. Syntactic ambiguity d. meaning
4. This is the process of creating and interpreting symbols

a. signification c. reference
b. meaning d sense
5. The study of this linguistic meaning as part of the general system of the sign
systems.

a. Semantics c. Linguistics
b. Semiotics d. Pragmatics
6. According to Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, this refers to the word for a
concept.

a. signified c. signifier
b. symbols d. systems
7. This type of signs according to US Philosopher Charles Peirce in his theory of
communication systems involves an arbitrary relationship between sign and object,
but which is understood as a convention, for example a green light as a traffic
signal “go”.

a. signified c. index
b. symbol d. icon
8. This involves a relationship whereby the sign replicates some characteristics of the
object: a drawing of a cat replicates some features of the shape of a cat.

a. signified c. index
b. symbol d. icon
9. This involves a logical relation between sign and object, for example a weathercock,
which stands for the wind but which is directly influenced by the wind direction.

a. signified c. index
b. symbol d. icon
10. This semantic shift that results in a word acquiring more negative associations or
meaning.

a. Semantic shift c. Semantic derogation

b. reference d. extension
 Semantics of English

11. Incremental changes to the meaning of a word or phrase. Sometimes included within
the scope of grammaticalisation theory but unlike grammaticalisation, semantic shift
need not entail structural reanalysis of a word or phrase. That is, a verb might stay a
verb but its meaning might be severely weakened or altered.

a. Semantic shift c. Semantic derogation

b. reference d. extension

12. This places a new level between words and the world: a level of mental
representation

a. reference c. index
b. sense d. linguistic meaning
13. The meaning of linguistic expressions is built from the meaning of their constituent
parts is referred as ___________.

a. linguistic meaning c. compositional meaning

b. conventional meaning d. affective meaning

14. This hypothesis that there is a regular, transparent use of sentences and words
which is different from more and basic than figurative uses like metaphor and
irony.

a. literal meaning c. Non-literal meaning

b. conventional meaning d. affective meaning

15. The hypothesis that there figurative uses of language like metaphor, metonymy etc.
that are distinct from the regular, transparent use of sentences and words. This is
seen as acquiring effort to understand.

a. literal meaning c. Non-literal meaning

b. conventional meaning d. affective meaning
16. This is a figurative langage based on an implicit identification of resemblance or
analogy. In cognitive linguistics, it is seen as linguistic reflection of a more general
and systematic psychological process of analogical mapping between two domains
of knowledge, one being source domain and the other a target domain.

a. Simile c. irony
b. Metaphor d. Metonymy
17. This is another term for dictionary. In semantic theories, this refers to the speakers’
linguistic knowledge about morphemes and words.

a. encyclopedic knowledge c. literal meaning

b. lexicon d. reference

18. The idea, associated in different forms with Sapir and Whorf that semantics and
grammatical categories of a language determine thought.

a. linguistic determinism c. linguistic relativity

b. linguistic knowledge d. sense
 Semantics of English

19. This is the truth that derives from linguistic meaning, regardless of context.

a. analytic truth c. reference

b. linguistic truth d. sense

20. Linguistic expressions that in order to be understood rely on a link to the act of
speaking or writing. So adverbs like here and there relate to the location of the
speaker, now to the time of the utterance and pronouns like I and you to identities of
the current speaker and addressee.

a. Denotation c. Deictic expression

d. lexical ambiguity d. entailment
21. When someone names an entity and picks out of identifies with words is a process
is a process termed as ____________

a. referring or denoting c. classifying

b. naming d. sensing
22. When you name your dog as Pretty, the dog as the entity being referred is usually
called the referent or also known as _________.

a. object c. deictic expression

b. sense d. denotatum
23. This relates to the complex system of relationships that hold between the linguistic
elements themselves (mostly the words); it is concerned only with intralinguistic
relations.

a. object c. deictic expression

b. sense d. denotatum
24. This deals with the relationship between the linguistic elements , words, sentences,
etc., and the non-linguistic world of experience.

a. reference c. deictic expression

b. sense d. denotatum
25. These are any linguistic expression which is used to identify an entity.

a. deictic expressions c. Referring expressions

b. Non-referring expressions d. semantic expressions

26. This is a linguistic unit which most clearly reveals the function of language.

a. nominal c. semantic expressions

b. sense d. lexicon
27. This type of reference such as she, I and you needs one to know a lot about the
context in which words are being uttered. This a context-dependent element which is
also known as deixis.

a. constant reference c. Referring expressions

b. Non-referring expressions d. variable reference
28. These reference or expressions always have the same referent across utterances
such as Asia, Philippines and Davao City.

a. constant reference c. Referring expressions

b. Non-referring expressions d. variable reference
 Semantics of English

29. It is the set of the things which could be possibly be the referent of the expression or
a thing /or set of things that a linguistic expression can be sued to refer to.

a. sense c. denotation
b. reference d. extension
30. This according to Lyons (1977) is the relationship between an expression and its
extension.

a. sense c. denotation
b. reference d. extension
31. This is a term from Philosophy of language describing nominal expressions used to
refer individuals.

a. Definite descriptions c. sense

b. presupposition triggers d. reference

32. A linguistic element that signals the speakers’ presupposition such as lexical items
like realize and regret.

a. Definite descriptions c. sense

b. presupposition triggers d. reference

33. This was espoused by Devitt and Sterelny (1987) which states that names are
socially inherited or names are of social inheritance based historical first uses.

a. Description theory c. Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

b. Causal Theory d. none is correct

34. .According to this theory, name is taken as a label or shorthand for knowledge about
the referent or in the terminology of philosophers, for one or more definite
descriptions.

a. Description theory c. Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

b. Causal Theory d. none is correct
35. A class of words that in English includes each, all, every none , no which allow the
speaker, among other things, the flexibility to predicate something of a whole
class of entities or of some subpart.

a. presupposition c. quantifiers
b. entailment d. class