Question 1

Two-year-old Owen rushes into the kitchen and tells his sister: "Baby throw.Baby bad." He wants her to know that his baby brother is bad because he just threw his toys on the floor.Owen's communication illustrates the use of
A) overregularization.
B) telegraphic speech.
C) semantic slanting.
D) underextension.

Accepted Answer

Owen's communication uses short, simple phrases, similar to telegraphic speech, which is common in children at this age. This type of speech includes leaving out smaller function words, such as "the" or "is." The sentence "Baby throw. Baby bad." is an example of telegraphic speech, as it includes only the essential words needed to convey the message. The other options, such as overregularization, semantic slanting, or underextension, do not accurately describe Owen's communication in this scenario.

Question 2

Robert knows how to say "red," but when his cousin asks him to name the colors of the cars that drive past their house,he says red for the red cars,the blue cars,the green cars,and the black cars.Robert's use of this word illustrates
A) fast mapping.
B) telegraphic speech.
C) babbling.
D) overextension.

Accepted Answer

Robert's use of "red" to describe cars that are not actually red demonstrates overextension, which is a common language error in which a child applies a word too broadly to include objects that are not typical or appropriate members of the category represented by the word.

Question 3

A child who says,"I sawed a cat in the yard," is making which of the following errors?
A) overextension
B) underextension
C) overregularization
D) underregularization

Accepted Answer

The child is making an overregularization error by applying the regular past tense "-ed" ending to the irregular verb "see". They should have said "I saw a cat in the yard" or "I have seen a cat in the yard".

Question 4

Seven-year-old Tracy heard a joke in school and asks you: "How could you find a lost dog in the woods?" When you are stumped,she tells you: "You stand near a tree and listen for the bark." Tracy's play on words indicates that she is developing
A) metalinguistic awareness.
B) psycholinguistic skills.
C) linguistic relativity.
D) the ability to use linguistic heuristics.

Accepted Answer

Tracy's play on words indicates that she is developing metalinguistic awareness, which is the ability to reflect on and manipulate language as an object of attention.

Question 5

A child who uses "wented" as the past tense of the verb "to go"
A) is using a metalinguistic transformation.
B) is probably still at the stage of using semantic slanting.
C) is using a general rule in an irregular case where it does not apply.
D) is using motherese to express the past tense.

Accepted Answer

The child is applying a general rule ("-ed" for past tense) to an irregular verb. "Went" is a past tense form of "go," but it does not follow the regular "-ed" pattern. This is a common error made by young children as they learn to apply language rules.

Question 6

If you were to compare adult speech with the speech of infants under 4 months of age you should expect to find that
A) infants produce more morphemes than adults do.
B) adults are capable of producing more phonemes than infants are.
C) infants distinguish more phonemes than adults do.
D) adults and infants both use the same number of phonemes.

Accepted Answer

Infants have the ability to distinguish a wider range of phonemes from different languages than adults, who lose this ability as they specialize in their native language.

Question 7

Kailee has learned the word "kitty," but she uses this word when she is referring to cats,bunnies,squirrels,and other small furry animals.Kailee's use of this word illustrates
A) overextension.
B) fast mapping.
C) telegraphic speech.
D) babbling.

Accepted Answer

Overextension occurs when a child applies a word too broadly to include objects that do not fit the definition of the word. In this case, Kailee is using "kitty" to refer to a variety of small furry animals, indicating overextension.

Question 8

You are listening to 2-year-old Annie as she says "No eat.No like." She is trying to let you know that she is not going to eat her broccoli because she doesn't like it.Annie's communication illustrates the use of
A) underextension.
B) telegraphic speech.
C) semantic slanting.
D) overregularization.

Accepted Answer

Annie's communication is an example of telegraphic speech, which is when young children use two-word phrases to convey a complete thought or idea. In this case, Annie is saying "No eat" and "No like" to express her dislike of broccoli and her refusal to eat it. This type of speech is common in children between the ages of 18 months and 2 years. Underextension refers to when a child uses a word to only refer to a specific object or instance, rather than the broader category. Semantic slanting involves using words in a way that conveys a certain bias or perspective. Overregularization occurs when a child applies a grammar rule too broadly or doesn't follow irregular patterns in language.

Question 9

Metalinguistic awareness refers to
A) the ability to recognize one's own grammatical errors.
B) the ability to reflect on the use of language.
C) knowledge of which verbs are irregular.
D) awareness of the role of positive reinforcement in language acquisition.

Accepted Answer

Metalinguistic awareness refers to the ability to reflect on the use of language, including its rules, conventions, and pragmatics. It involves understanding and manipulating language as a system, and recognizing the multiple levels and functions of language. It includes being able to analyze language, talk about language, and make informed judgments about language use.

Question 10

Four-year-old Nina says: "I runned all the way home." This MOST likely indicates that
A) Nina has forgotten the correct way to form the past tense.
B) Nina hears improper verb forms spoken in her home.
C) Nina is still relying on telegraphic speech to convey meaning.
D) Nina is overregularizing a grammatical rule.

Accepted Answer

Nina is overregularizing a grammatical rule. This is a common phenomenon in language development, where children apply regular rules to irregular forms. In this case, "runned" is the regular past tense formation, but "ran" is the irregular form.

Question 11

The fact that overextensions are more common in children's production of words than in their comprehension of words implies that overextensions occur because
A) toddlers must rely on a very limited vocabulary to express themselves.
B) toddlers can't consistently identify objects to which different words apply.
C) children's vocabulary growth occurs at such a rapid pace.
D) toddlers cannot yet combine words into sentences.

Accepted Answer

Toddlers often overextend words because they have a limited vocabulary and use the words they know to express a wider range of meanings.

Question 12

Telegraphic speech normally includes only
A) nouns.
B) verbs.
C) nouns and verbs.
D) nouns, verbs, and articles.

Accepted Answer

Telegraphic speech is a language style that consists of only essential words needed to convey meaning. It includes both nouns and verbs, but not always articles or other parts of speech that are not essential for understanding the message.

Question 13

Fast mapping is
A) the development of a mental representation of one's environment.
B) the pacing activity associated with genetics, allowing for anticipation of motivational events.
C) the type of play a child engages in at an early age.
D) mapping words to underlying concepts after only one exposure.

Accepted Answer

Fast mapping refers to the ability to quickly and efficiently map a new word to its underlying concept after only one exposure.

Question 14

Which of the following statements is MOST accurate?
A) Overregularizations occur only in English, which has numerous irregular verbs.
B) Overregularizations reflect the fact that children do not acquire the rules of grammar in a single leap.
C) Overregularizations increase when school-age children are formally taught subtle exceptions to grammatical rules.
D) Overregularizations are less common in children's comprehension of words than in their production of words.

Accepted Answer

Overregularizations occur in children's language development when they apply regular grammatical rules to irregular words, indicating that they are still in the process of acquiring the nuances of language. This phenomenon is not specific to English and occurs in other languages as well. While formal instruction may contribute to an increase in overregularizations, this is not the primary cause. Additionally, overregularizations can occur in both production and comprehension, but are more frequently observed in production.

Question 15

Jenna is 14 months old and uses only "bottle,no,up,bye-bye,mama,and dada" when she talks.However,when the family is on their way to visit Jenna's grandmother,and her father tells Jenna to get her blue bunny from the bedroom and bring it with her,Jenna quickly runs to get the bunny.This episode demonstrates that
A) toddlers' receptive vocabularies are larger than their productive vocabularies.
B) toddlers' productive vocabularies are larger than their receptive vocabularies.
C) infants have difficulty pronouncing phonemes they have never heard.
D) Jenna is able to overextend her current vocabulary.

Accepted Answer

This episode demonstrates that Jenna is able to understand and follow commands even though she is not able to verbally express a wide range of words. This suggests that her receptive vocabulary is larger than her productive vocabulary. Toddlers often have a larger understanding of words than they can produce themselves. Option C is incorrect because there is no evidence in the scenario that suggests Jenna had difficulty pronouncing any phonemes. Option D is partially correct because Jenna is overextending her current vocabulary by understanding the command to bring her blue bunny even though she cannot say "blue bunny." However, this is not the main idea conveyed by the scenario.

Question 16

Which of the following statements is MOST accurate?
A) Although telegraphic speech is not unique to the English language, it is not a cross-culturally, universal aspect of language development.
B) The emergence of telegraphic speech is unique to the English language.
C) The emergence of telegraphic speech is a cross-culturally, universal aspect of language development.
D) Telegraphic speech is more prevalent in Western cultures than in non-Western cultures.

Accepted Answer

While telegraphic speech is not unique to the English language, it is not a cross-culturally, universal aspect of language development. This means that it may emerge in some languages and cultures but not in others, and it is not a guaranteed or necessary stage in language development.

Question 17

Underextension would be evident if a three-year-old child
A) used a word too broadly.
B) used telegraphic speech to communicate complex ideas.
C) used a word too narrowly.
D) failed to utilize fast mapping.

Accepted Answer

Underextension refers to the limited use of a word, where a child uses a word too narrowly. Therefore, the correct answer is C. Options A and B refer to overgeneralization of language, while option D is unrelated to underextension.

Question 18

Fast mapping in children's language skills has been suggested to be related to all of the following EXCEPT children's
A) development of a mental representation of one's environment.
B) improved articulation skills.
C) improved understanding of syntax.
D) underlying cognitive development.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Fast mapping in children's language skills has...

Question 19

Dean ate ice cream for the first time yesterday.All day today he has been asking for ice cream.This would be an example of
A) metalinguistic awareness.
B) fast mapping.
C) overextension.
D) semantic slanting.

Accepted Answer

Fast mapping is the process by which children quickly learn a new word after just a few exposures to it. Dean's immediate request for ice cream after trying it for the first time demonstrates this rapid acquisition of vocabulary.

Question 20

An 8-year-old shows irony and sarcasm in his speech by saying "That's just great,I'm a regular Michael Jordan!" after he misses a free throw in a basketball game; this suggests that his ____ has improved.
A) metalinguistic awareness
B) psycholinguistic skills
C) linguistic relativity
D) ability to use linguistic heuristics

Accepted Answer

Metalinguistic awareness refers to the ability to reflect on and understand language in a conscious way. The use of irony and sarcasm requires an understanding of language beyond its literal meaning and therefore indicates an improvement in metalinguistic awareness. The other answer choices are not directly related to this specific language skill.

Quiz 8: Language and Thought

Two-year-old Owen rushes into the kitchen and tells his sister: "Baby throw.Baby bad." He wants her to know that his baby brother is bad because he just threw his toys on the floor.Owen's communication illustrates the use of

Robert knows how to say "red," but when his cousin asks him to name the colors of the cars that drive past their house,he says red for the red cars,the blue cars,the green cars,and the black cars.Robert's use of this word illustrates

A child who says,"I sawed a cat in the yard," is making which of the following errors?

Seven-year-old Tracy heard a joke in school and asks you: "How could you find a lost dog in the woods?" When you are stumped,she tells you: "You stand near a tree and listen for the bark." Tracy's play on words indicates that she is developing

A child who uses "wented" as the past tense of the verb "to go"

If you were to compare adult speech with the speech of infants under 4 months of age you should expect to find that

Kailee has learned the word "kitty," but she uses this word when she is referring to cats,bunnies,squirrels,and other small furry animals.Kailee's use of this word illustrates

You are listening to 2-year-old Annie as she says "No eat.No like." She is trying to let you know that she is not going to eat her broccoli because she doesn't like it.Annie's communication illustrates the use of

Metalinguistic awareness refers to

Four-year-old Nina says: "I runned all the way home." This MOST likely indicates that

The fact that overextensions are more common in children's production of words than in their comprehension of words implies that overextensions occur because

Telegraphic speech normally includes only

Fast mapping is

Which of the following statements is MOST accurate?

Which of the following statements is MOST accurate?

Underextension would be evident if a three-year-old child

Fast mapping in children's language skills has been suggested to be related to all of the following EXCEPT children's

Dean ate ice cream for the first time yesterday.All day today he has been asking for ice cream.This would be an example of

An 8-year-old shows irony and sarcasm in his speech by saying "That's just great,I'm a regular Michael Jordan!" after he misses a free throw in a basketball game; this suggests that his ____ has improved.