Question 1

Based on current research findings, which of the following best accounts for the tendency of 2-year-olds to use a telegraphic style of speech?

Accepted Answer

Constraints on production best account for the tendency of 2-year-olds to use a telegraphic style of speech. This is because young children have limited verbal skills and cognitive abilities, which restrict their ability to form complex sentences, leading them to communicate with essential words only.

Question 2

Which of the following observations supports the view that prelinguistic vocalizations are heavily influenced by maturation of the brain and the muscles controlling verbal articulation?

Accepted Answer

Infants vocalizing similarly in the first six months regardless of their linguistic environment suggests that these early vocalizations are more influenced by biological maturation processes than by learning or imitation. This includes the development of the brain and the muscles used in speech.

Question 3

Three-year-old Petrov knows the word doggie.When he and his mother take their dog to the veterinarian, she tells Petrov that his "poodle is very sick." If Petrov understands that this new word poodle refers to a kind of dog, what is he using to infer the meaning of the new word?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Three-year-old Petrov knows the word doggie.When he...

Question 4

According to Nelson, which of the following would most likely be among an infant's first words?

Accepted Answer

Nelson's research suggests that infants' first words are often nouns related to familiar objects or people in their environment, such as "car," "bus," and "doggie."

Question 5

Which of the following best summarizes the research findings with respect to the efficacy of core language programs in contrast to those that employ immersion?

Accepted Answer

Immersion language programs are generally found to be effective in promoting better development of a second language without negatively affecting the development of the first language. This is because immersion allows learners to use the second language in a variety of contexts, which enhances learning, while still maintaining their first language skills.

Question 6

Calvin says "Mommy up!" while reaching upward with his arms.What speech pattern is Calvin's statement an example of?

Accepted Answer

Calvin's statement "Mommy up!" is an example of telegraphic speech, where a child uses two or more words to convey a message, often omitting less critical words, similar to a telegram.

Question 7

In addition to promoting first-language skills, what results from the instruction for minority children in their native language?

Accepted Answer

Instruction in a child's native language has been shown to promote academic achievement by providing a strong foundation in their first language, which can then support the learning of additional languages and other academic subjects.

Question 8

Obtaining the answer to which of the following questions best exemplifies the purpose of using the wugs test to investigate language development in young children?

Accepted Answer

The wugs test is designed to examine whether children can apply learned grammatical rules to novel words, specifically testing their ability to generate plurals, demonstrating their understanding of language structure without explicitly knowing the rules.

Question 9

Why do many psycholinguists refer to toddlers' speech as holophrastic?

Accepted Answer

Holophrastic speech refers to the stage in language development where toddlers use single words to express complex ideas or demands, effectively conveying a whole sentence's worth of meaning with just one word.

Question 10

Migizi has recently been involved in educating Indigenous Canadian children in a heritage language program.What did he notice after one year?

Accepted Answer

Heritage language programs often lead to an increase in individual and collective self-esteem among participants. These programs help students connect with their cultural identity, which can boost their confidence and sense of belonging.

Question 11

Laura is a 2-year-old living in Vancouver.She has two older brothers and one older sister.Based on research conducted by Nelson, what type of language style is Laura most likely to have?

Accepted Answer

Research by Katherine Nelson suggests that children with siblings often develop an expressive language style, characterized by a focus on social interactions and communication, as they are influenced by the need to interact with their siblings.

Question 12

What does the neonates' ability to discriminate speech sounds and to recognize their mothers' voices imply about their language capabilities?

Accepted Answer

Neonates' ability to discriminate speech sounds and recognize their mothers' voices suggests they have innate capabilities necessary for language learning, supporting the idea that humans are born with certain predispositions for language acquisition.

Question 13

What type of language knowledge is a child demonstrating when he or she engages in word play and says such things as stop, bop, rop, dop, clop, mop but never says sgap, tpir, or sbum?

Accepted Answer

The child is demonstrating knowledge of phonology, which involves the sound system of a language and the rules for combining these sounds. By engaging in word play that respects the phonological rules of the language (e.g., creating rhyming words that could exist in the language) but avoids non-conforming sound combinations, the child shows an understanding of what sounds and sound patterns are permissible.

Question 14

What does evidence indicate about the timing of language turn-taking?

Accepted Answer

Language turn-taking skills are acquired over the first year of life, as infants become increasingly responsive to the speech patterns and pauses in conversation, learning the rhythm of social interactions.

Question 15

Which of the following observations about language did Bickerton claim that only the nativist model could account for?

Accepted Answer

Bickerton argued that the similarity in syntactic rules across creolized languages worldwide could only be explained by innate linguistic structures, a key tenet of the nativist model. This perspective suggests that humans have an inherent ability to develop complex language structures, which is reflected in the uniformity of syntax in creolized languages formed independently in different regions.

Question 16

Which of the following best characterizes the ability that is referred to as metalinguistic awareness?

Accepted Answer

Metalinguistic awareness refers to the ability to think about and reflect on the nature and functions of language. This includes understanding and discussing the properties of language, such as grammar, phonology, and semantics, beyond just using it for communication.

Question 17

Maria uses the Italian word for soup when conversing in English with her English-speaking grandparents.What does this represent?

Accepted Answer

Code-mixing refers to the practice of alternating between two or more languages or varieties of language in conversation, which is what Maria is doing by using an Italian word while speaking in English.

Question 18

Keionda plays with words and says sis, miss, nis but never says scli, pslek, or nslo.What part of language does Keionda seem to understand?

Accepted Answer

Keionda's word play involves the use of sounds that are acceptable in her language, indicating an understanding of phonology, which is the study of the sound system of a language and the rules for combining these sounds.

Question 19

Why are overextensions more common in toddlers' production of words than in their comprehension?

Accepted Answer

Toddlers overextend words in production more than in comprehension because their expressive vocabulary is limited. They might know what several objects are but lack the specific words to label each distinctly, leading them to overgeneralize the words they do know.

Question 20

Which of the following pieces of evidence best supports the sensitive-period hypothesis for language development?

Accepted Answer

Children with aphasia recovering language functions more easily than adults suggests a sensitive period in childhood when the brain is more adaptable for language acquisition.

Quiz 11: Development of Language and Communication Skills