Deck 9: Language Development

Question 1

The "ch" sound in church or change is an example of a:

A)morpheme.
B)letter.
C)syllable.
D)phoneme.

Answer 1

phoneme.

Question 2

The basic unit of sound in a language is a:

A)morpheme.
B)letter.
C)syllable.
D)phoneme.

Answer 2

phoneme.

Question 3

The ability to produce an endless number of meaningful sentences with a finite set of words and rules is:

A)pragmatics.
B)infinite generativity.
C)organizational rules.
D)segmentation.

Answer 3

infinite generativity.

Question 4

Cases like the Wild Boy of Aveyron cause us to wonder whether language is:

A)infinitely generative or not.
B)due more to heredity or environment.
C)based on abstract or concrete symbols.
D)more a question of phonology or syntax.

Question 5

Language is a form of communication-spoken, written, or signed-that is based on a system of:

A)words.
B)ideas.
C)symbols.
D)sounds.

Question 6

Twelve-year-old Cade is able to produce all of the sounds of speech and construct complete, accurate, meaningful sentences but struggles with taking turns in a discussion, recognizing humor and figurative language.He is having communication difficulty in the area of:

A)phonology.
B)semantics.
C)morphology.
D)pragmatics.

Question 7

Which statement describes the sentence: "The pencil sang a lovely tune"?

A)syntactically correct but semantically incorrect
B)semantically correct but syntactically incorrect
C)phonologically and syntactically incorrect
D)morphologically and semantically correct

Question 8

Thirty students in a class are given the same list of eight words to use in generating sentences.Each student creates a unique sentence.This is an example of:

A)pragmatics.
B)infinite generativity.
C)organizational rules.
D)segmentation.

Question 9

Morphology refers to:

A)the units of meaning involved in word formation.
B)the way words are combined to form acceptable phrases and sentences.
C)rules regarding how sounds are perceived as different, and which sound sequences may occur in the language.
D)the meaning of words and sentences.

Question 10

The fact that changes in word order can change the meaning of a sentence is an example of:

A)semantics.
B)syntax.
C)phonology.
D)pragmatics.

Question 11

When babies babble "ba, ba, ba," they are demonstrating knowledge of a:

A)morpheme.
B)letter.
C)syllable.
D)phoneme.

Question 12

Six-year-old Aspen addresses her teacher, "Me goed to the park.Is you goed too?" She is displaying problems with:

A)pragmatics.
B)syntax.
C)phonology.
D)semantics.

Question 13

Which of the following statements about morphemes is TRUE?

A)some words consist of a single morpheme
B)some words are made up of more than one morpheme
C)morphemes can mark tense and number
D)all of these

Question 14

When 6-year-old Sebastian is at the pool, he sees a heavy woman in a black and white bathing suit and yells "orca!" This illustrates a violation of:

A)semantics.
B)syntax.
C)phonology.
D)pragmatics.

Question 15

Which of the following statements is NOT true about an infant's use of gestures?

A)A lack of pointing is one characteristic of children with autism.
B)Frequent use of gestures indicates a future language delay.
C)Infants start using gestures at about 8 to 12 months of age.
D)Gesturing is a sign of a healthy communication system.

Question 16

In English we say "white house," (adjective precedes noun), but in Spanish one would say "casa blanca" (noun precedes adjective).This example illustrates different rules of:

A)semantics.
B)syntax.
C)phonology.
D)pragmatics.

Question 17

Words have semantic restrictions on how they can be used in sentences because:

A)every word has required attributes related to meaning.
B)every word is made up of one or more morphemes.
C)contextual rules differ from one culture to another.
D)meaning varies with gender and socioeconomic status.

Question 18

Aiden asks his mom is she "bringed" his favorite toy with her.His addition of "ed" on the end of the word to make it past tense indicates an understanding of:

A)morphemes.
B)syntax.
C)phonology.
D)semantics.

Question 19

The use of correct rules for conversation is part of the definition of:

A)grammatical relations.
B)semantics.
C)pragmatics.
D)the language acquisition device.

Question 20

Which of the following statements regarding syntax is NOT true?

A)All languages have syntactical rules.
B)An understanding of English syntax is easily applicable to other languages.
C)Language users cannot process subjects and objects arranged in too complex a fashion in a sentence.
D)There are some universal properties of syntax.

Question 21

Children's ability to make an initial connection between a word and its referent after only a limited exposure to the word is called:

A)telegraphic speech.
B)an overextension.
C)an underextension.
D)fast mapping.

Question 22

Jenny is at the zoo with her family.She points to each animal and says "doggie." This illustrates:

A)a vocabulary spurt.
B)delayed vocabulary development.
C)overextension.
D)underextension.

Question 23

According to Kuhl's research, at birth, infants are "citizens of the world," able to recognize sounds regardless of from which language the syllables come.At what age do infants get better at perceiving the changes in sounds in their own language?

A)3-6 months
B)6-9 months
C)6-12 months
D)12-18 months

Question 24

A child's first words mainly consist of:

A)actions, names, food, places.
B)important people, animals, vehicles, actions.
C)places, greeting terms, body parts, clothes.
D)important people, animals, vehicles, food, body parts, greeting terms.

Question 25

Telegraphic speech is characterized by:

A)two-word utterances only.
B)short, complete sentences.
C)a sequence of succinct single syllable words.
D)short, precise words without grammatical markers.

Question 26

In a baby's first year of life, what language development stage comes after crying?

A)cooing
B)telegraphic speech
C)babbling
D)morphology

Question 27

Research about the ability of infants to distinguish human speech sounds indicates that:

A)young infants are capable of distinguishing only the sounds they hear in the language spoken around them.
B)the ability to distinguish all speech sounds increases as infants grow older.
C)there are distinct stages in the ability of infants to perceive different speech sounds.
D)infants gradually come to distinguish best the speech sounds of the language spoken around them.

Question 28

When a child struggles with speech and language development, the professional who provides therapeutic intervention is a(n):

A)pediatrician.
B)elocutionist.
C)speech/language therapist.
D)English tutor.

Question 29

Research on the ability of infants to understand words indicates that infants:

A)understand words only when they have reached the stage of internalization of schemes.
B)must be able to talk before they can understand words.
C)understand words well before they can produce them.
D)speak earlier when they understand words earlier.

Question 30

Berko's study demonstrated children's understanding of morphological rules.Because the words in the study were fictional, it is impressive to note that the children in the study:

A)had abstracted the rules from language they had heard and applied them to novel situations.
B)remembered the rules they had been taught.
C)were unable to rely on rules with fictional words.
D)based their responses on past instances of hearing the words.

Question 31

Anthony holds up his glass and says, "Milk gone." What type of speech pattern is this?

A)reflective
B)comprehensive
C)intrinsic
D)telegraphic

Question 32

Natalie has just turned 2 years old.About how many words are in her speaking vocabulary?

A)50
B)100
C)200
D)350

Question 33

Which of the following statements about language development is TRUE?

A)Infants speak words before they understand them.
B)Infants understand words before they speak them.
C)Infants don't understand words unless they are received in a "baby talk" tone of voice.
D)Infants use verbal communication before nonverbal communication.

Question 34

All children acquire the particular features of a language:

A)in no particular order.
B)in a consistent order.
C)in an order that is gender-dependent.
D)in an order that varies according to one's intelligence.

Question 35

A rapid increase in an infant's vocabulary that usually takes place between 18 and 24 months is known as:

A)vocabulary spurt.
B)expressive jump.
C)overextension.
D)language development.

Question 36

Preschool children learn and apply syntax rules."When we are going outside?" is an example of difficulty with mastering:

A)placement of a wh- word at the beginning of a sentence.
B)auxiliary-inversion rule.
C)overgeneralization.
D)abstract morphological rules.

Question 37

What primary function does vocalization (crying, cooing, babbling and gestures) accomplish for infants?

A)no function-it is reflexive
B)occupies waking hours
C)attracts attention from their caregivers and others
D)respiratory exercise

Question 38

At what age can Emily expect her child to say, "Get shoes"?

A)8 to 12 months
B)12 to 18 months
C)18 to 24 months
D)after 24 months

Question 39

Why is it difficult for infants to detect word boundaries?

A)Detecting word boundaries is irrelevant.
B)Adults don't pause between words when they speak.
C)Infants cannot distinguish between phonemes in words.
D)Infants cannot discriminate between familiar words and unusual words.

Question 40

As children move beyond two-word utterances, they begin using plural and possessive nouns, appropriate verb endings, prepositions, articles, and various forms of the verb "to be." This is evidence that the children:

A)are increasing their vocabulary.
B)have well-established phonology.
C)know morphological rules.
D)have formal training in grammar.

Question 41

Research comparing the approaches of whole-language and phonics has shown that:

A)the whole-language approach produces superior word recognition.
B)the phonics approach helps children to sound out words better.
C)the phonics approach should be used in teaching children to read but students also benefit from whole-language instruction.
D)whichever approach is used at home will be most effective in school instruction.

Question 42

Metalinguistic awareness improves considerably in the elementary school years and allows children to:

A)think about their language.
B)understand what words are.
C)define words.
D)all of these

Question 43

Marquessa is teaching her son to read by sounding out words and having him repeat them in storybooks she reads to him.What approach is she using?

A)whole-language
B)phonics
C)balanced-instruction
D)sound-it-out

Question 44

According to Hart and Risley, which group of parents talked less to their young children, talked less about past events, and provided less elaboration?

A)single parents
B)welfare parents
C)grandparents
D)professional parents

Question 45

Between 18 months and 6 years of age, young children learn about:

A)1 word every waking hour.
B)10 words weekly.
C)5 words daily.
D)30 words weekly.

Question 46

In social situations, 4- to 5-year-olds will:

A)speak the same to peers as they would to a 2-year-old.
B)speak the same to adults as they would to a peer.
C)avoid speaking to adults.
D)use shorter sentences when speaking to a 2-year-old.

Question 47

All of the following are precursors of literacy and academic success EXCEPT:

A)conceptual knowledge about print and its conventions and functions.
B)letter identification.
C)phonological and syntactic knowledge.
D)pragmatic skill.

Question 48

Mrs.Nakayama's students have above-average writing skills.Which of the following statements most likely describes this teacher's classroom environment?

A)Students participate in peer reviews.
B)Mrs.Nakayama spends a significant amount of time teaching planning, drafting, and revising.
C)Students set writing goals.
D)all of these

Question 49

Cecilia begins teaching children to read by having them learn to make sounds that go with each letter of the alphabet.Which language approach is Cecilia taking?

A)whole-language
B)phonics
C)information-processing
D)analytic

Question 50

An elementary school class reads a magazine article on insects and sings "The Ugly Bug Ball" with a word chart poster.Later, the students cut out words from a newspaper that might describe bugs and use them to write a poem.This is an example of:

A)basic skills.
B)phonetics.
C)alphabetic principle.
D)the whole-language approach.

Question 51

A pragmatic characteristic of a 4-year-old is that they:

A)increase the length of sentences.
B)talk about imaginary people and things.
C)change their speech style to accommodate the listener.
D)maintain the same speech style in all situations.

Question 52

Which of the following would have the LEAST positive influence on a young child's vocabulary development?

A)mother's use of diverse vocabulary
B)mother's talkativeness
C)mother's literacy skills
D)mother's use of pointing gestures while talking to her child

Question 53

In which of the following countries would the rates of dyslexia be expected to be highest?

A)Japan
B)United States
C)Korea
D)Sweden

Question 54

Chad's parents live on the poverty line.All of the following are important home literacy experiences for Chad's language development EXCEPT:

A)quality of his mother's engagement with him.
B)literacy experiences.
C)provision of learning materials.
D)amount of time his mother spends talking to him.

Question 55

Preschool children typically respond to a stimulus word with a related word interaction such as agent-action or action-object (cow-moo or drink-milk).By 7 years of age, children start responding with the same part of speech as the stimulus word (hot dog-hamburger).This is evidence that children at this age have begun to _____ their vocabulary.

A)memorize
B)compromise
C)specialize
D)categorize

Question 56

According to Berninger, children who enter elementary school with a small vocabulary are at risk for developing:

A)behavior problems.
B)speech problems.
C)reading problems.
D)writing problems.

Question 57

Which of the following is true of writing in the early elementary years?

A)Some letter reversals are to be expected and do not predict literacy problems.
B)Writing requires a significant amount of practice.
C)Children often invent spellings based on the sounds they hear.
D)all of these

Question 58

Which language approach stresses that reading instruction should parallel a child's natural language learning?

A)assisted
B)remedial
C)complex
D)whole-language

Question 59

Studies show which of the following about the quality of students' writing?

A)College instructors report that the majority of high school graduates have superior writing skills.
B)Teachers report that their college education program inadequately prepared them to teach writing.
C)Students in fourth grade are high-achieving writers, but sharply decline in writing skills by twelfth grade.
D)Students who have superior skills in organization and logical reasoning have below-average writing skills.

Question 60

Knowing that letters represent sounds in language refers to:

A)whole-language.
B)the alphabetic principle.
C)writing.
D)basic skills.

Question 61

The use of irony, derision, or wit to expose folly is known as:

A)metaphor.
B)simile.
C)satire.
D)abstraction.

Question 62

_____ is the use of irony, derision, or wit to expose wickedness.

A)A metaphor
B)Satire
C)A simile
D)A dialect

Question 63

All of the following is true of speech in older adults EXCEPT it is:

A)lower in volume.
B)slower.
C)less fluent.
D)more articulated.

Question 64

Which of the following is an example of the dual-language approach in a U.S.school?

A)Ron's first language is English, and he is taking a Spanish course in middle school.
B)Maria's first language is Spanish.She has a teacher who speaks Spanish during some of her classes until Maria can learn more English.
C)Lynn's first language is English, and one of her teachers sometimes speaks Spanish so the children can learn a little of the language.
D)Anibal's first language is Spanish.He is taking a Spanish literature class taught in Spanish in addition to his regular classes, which are taught in English.

Question 65

Vocabulary continues to increase until:

A)adolescence.
B)early adulthood.
C)middle adulthood.
D)late adulthood.

Question 66

When does the "tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon" become readily apparent?

A)adolescence
B)early adulthood
C)middle adulthood
D)late adulthood

Question 67

Children who are fluent in two languages perform better than their monolingual counterparts on tests in which of the following areas?

A)analytical reasoning
B)concept formation
C)cognitive flexibility and complexity
D)all of these

Question 68

Language development during the adult years varies greatly among individuals depending on:

A)gender and personality.
B)voice quality and opportunity.
C)level of education and social and occupational roles.
D)geographical location and socioeconomic status.

Question 69

Young adolescents often speak a dialect with their peers that is characterized by:

A)unintelligible speech.
B)jargon and obscenity.
C)jargon and slang.
D)adult language patterns.

Question 70

Sixty-five-year-old Ruth is talking on the phone.She stops speaking to search her memory for the right word to use.This is an example of:

A)age-related cognitive deficits.
B)dementia.
C)the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon.
D)satire.

Question 71

A soldier suffers brain damage from an injury and is no longer able to speak.He is most likely suffering from:

A)LAD.
B)Broca's disorder.
C)aphasia.
D)Wernicke's disorder.

Question 72

Researchers have found it generally takes immigrant children how long to become proficient in speaking English?

A)1 year
B)2 years
C)3-5 years
D)7-10 years

Question 73

José's basic academic subjects are taught in his native language of Spanish.English is gradually taught as a companion subject.This is an example of:

A)the dual-language approach.
B)integrated instruction.
C)English proficiency.
D)cultural diversity.

Question 74

An implied comparison between two ideas that is conveyed by the abstract meaning contained in the words used to make the comparison is a:

A)metaphor.
B)simile.
C)holophrase.
D)abstraction.

Question 75

Increased sophistication in word use (metaphors, satire, dialect, etc.) is characteristic of language development during:

A)middle childhood.
B)late childhood.
C)adolescence.
D)adulthood.

Question 76

Which of the following is NOT a reason that adolescents tend to be better writers than younger children?

A)They are better at organizing ideas before writing.
B)They can distinguish between general and specific points.
C)They are better at stringing together sentences that make sense.
D)The exposure to other languages gives them a better understanding of syntax.

Question 77

When is the easiest time to learn a second language?

A)early childhood
B)late childhood
C)adolescence
D)variable across different language systems

Question 78

When Juan moved to the United States from Mexico, he and his parents spoke only Spanish.After some time, he and his parents spoke Spanish and English at home.Now they only speak English.This is an example of:

A)the dual-language approach.
B)subtractive bilingualism.
C)the whole-language approach.
D)the phonics approach.

Question 79

You see your friend and say "Sup dude?" this is an example of:

A)metaphor.
B)simile.
C)satire.
D)dialect.

Question 80

Brocca's and Wernicke's areas are predisposed for language functioning and are located in which part of the brain?

A)occipital lobe
B)temporal lobe
C)right hemisphere
D)left hemisphere