Deck 3: Communicative Development: Foundations and Functions of Language

Question 1

Researchers suggest that language function and language form:

A) are learned as independent functions.
B) develop parallel, one to the other.
C) are interconnected.
D) are not clearly understood.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Research about early communicative behavior indicates that

A) an infant's ability to develop language is determined by the nature of response to his or her attempts to communication.
B) the attempt to communicate demonstrates an innate ability to acquire language.
C) pointing is a precursor to the acquisition of language.
D) before they have formal language, infants are communicative beings.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Young children use speech acts at the one-word stage:

A) with different functions from adults.
B) in a wider range than adults.
C) eith similar functions as adults.
D) None of these answers.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Mothers in Western cultures:

A) frequently parallel their child's smiles, burps, and other noises to build communication.
B) expect their children to communicate in response to their talk.
C) draw infants into communication through pointing, play and song.
D) develop intricate personal communication with their infants before they talk.

Question 5

Research on pragmatic development suggests that:

A) the first communicative functions expressed by children are similar to adult's language.
B) communicative functions develop in the first few years just as language develops.
C) children use single-word utterances to express language functions.
D) children use gestures and sounds together when communicating.

Question 6

Protoimperative and protodeclarative behavior is:

A) the same in adults and children.
B) different in adults and children.
C) similar to the locutionary phase of child language development.
D) considered a phase of speech act development.

Question 7

Children's use of gesture:

A) demonstrates the child's communicative interest prior to using formal language.
B) has little relationship to the language development that follows.
C) is formed by cultural and linguistic rules in his or her mother tongue.
D) is an arbitrary form of using symbolic communication.

Question 8

Illocutionary refers to:

A) communication to a listener that is produced with intention .
B) a phase of communication in early childhood development.
C) communication to a listener that is produced without intention.
D) communication that occurs in infanthood.

Question 9

The "reach of speech" refers to:

A) topics the children talk about.
B) what the children ask for.
C) how the children propose a location for a known act on a known object.
D) how the children request continuation of a new activity.

Question 10

Children expand their use of language functions:

A) at a slow rate between 10 and 22 months of life.
B) at a faster rate when given increased attention.
C) by using a greater number of linguistic forms and a grater range of intentions in the second year of life.
D) by using less linguistic forms and a greater rate of intentions in the second year of life.

Question 11

Connected discourse refers to:

A) taking turns in speech.
B) telling stories.
C) using bridges between topics.
D) extending speech beyond single sentences.

Question 12

A summary of speech act development indicates that:

A) perlocutionary speech occurs in Phase 2 from birth to 10 months
B) illocutionary speech occurs in Period 1 from 10 to 12 months
C) locutonary speech occurs in Phase 3 from 12 months, onward
D) locutionary speech occurs in Period 3, from 10 months, onward

Question 13

Noam Chomsky's perspective on the language acquisition device indicates that:

A) children are born with natural language learning mechanisms.
B) some kinds of language learning experiences may cause the device to go into operation, but do not affect the operation itself.
C) there is a parallel between wanting to communicate and learning grammar.
D) the infants' ability to learn language is dependent on wanting to communicate.

Question 14

Intentionality refers to:

A) using language to create a belief in the listener's mind.
B) children's prelinguistic communicative behavior.
C) automatic responses to infants' internal states.
D) the nature of children's communication at birth.

Question 15

Perlocutionary refers to:

A) communication to a listener that is produced with intention .
B) a phase of communication in early childhood development.
C) communication to a listener that is produced without intention.
D) communication that occurs in infanthood.

Question 16

Research on the role of joint attention and child language development:

A) supports the view that joint attention skills parallel child motor skill development.
B) suggests that mothers of children with autism do not follow their child's eye gaze.
C) indicates that it is possible that joint attention skills and language development are not interrelated.
D) indicates that rapid growth of skills to gain joint attention may directly relate to rapid development of language.

Question 17

The Gricean maxim regarding relation refers to:

A) being as relevant as you can for most of the time.
B) maintaining clarity with brief, orderly and unambiguous statements.
C) contributing truthfulness to conversation.
D) being as informative as possible without giving too much information.

Question 18

Researchers examine communication function in terms of how it:

A) leads to acquiring language form.
B) forms the basis for learning language forms.
C) acts independently of language form in child language acquisition.
D) All of these answers are true.

Question 19

That mothers are responsible for child language acquisition is:

A) a view largely unsupported by child language researchers.
B) shown in evidence on older children and their language development.
C) not a focus of studies in child language research.
D) relevant only for children in the early stages of development.

Question 20

The view that children acquire language in order to express what they are thinking to share experiences is held by:

A) L. Bloom (1993)
B) Snow (1999)
C) L. Bloom (1993) and Snow (1999)
D) Hoff (2006), L. Bloom (1993) and Snow (1999)

Question 21

The development of conversational skill depends upon understanding of:

A) rules on how to respond to speakers and the ability to initiate topics.
B) learning how to adapt rules to different types of utterances.
C) use of repairs and knowing how to sustain ongoing dialogue.
D) All of these answers are true.

Question 22

When children initiate conversation, they most frequently bring up topics about:

A) themselves.
B) absent or intangible things.
C) the environment.
D) None of these answers.

Question 23

Piaget's views on children's egocentric language:

A) provide a basis for standard principles in understanding child language development milestones.
B) form the foundation of studies on child-directed speech.
C) are questioned by researchers today.
D) indicate that children do not understand the needs of different listeners.

Question 24

Children are more likely to have private speech

A) than adults or older children.
B) when playing or involved in a difficult task.
C) when alone or at night before going to sleep.
D) All of these answers are true.

Question 25

Children's use of narrative structures indicates that:

A) parents who ask children questions move the conversation forward.
B) there are two kinds of parent-styles, one is elaborative and the other is repetitive.
C) children of parents who use repetitive responses have increased language complexity.
D) children of parents who use elaboration produce longer and more complex utterances later.

Question 26

Among developmental stages in children's use of narrative structures are trends, such as increases in the:

A) spontaneity of mentioning past events.
B) use of narrative devices.
C) structural complexity, length of narrative produced and remoteness of the past events.
D) All of these answers are true.

Question 27

Studies of adjacent utterances in child language suggest that:

A) forming a response requires retrieving information about the first speaker's topic.
B) there are three categories of such responses.
C) children can respond to the first speaker's topic without fully comprehending the speaker's utterance.
D) All of these answers are true.

Question 28

Children know how to adapt their form of communication to their peers for understanding as early as the age of ___________________.

A) 2 years old
B) 3 years old
C) 4 years old
D) 5 years old

Question 29

In his 1974 study of twin 2-year-old boys, Keenan found:

A) that their language was limited and there was little interaction.
B) support for Piaget's view that young children rely on egocentric language.
C) that the children sustained discourse with sounds and speech.
D) that the children preferred communicating with each other rather than with adults.

Question 30

Research on children's conversation with peers indicates:

A) a skewed view of how children carry on dialogue.
B) young children can sustain a topic with each other without adult input
C) young children cannot sustain a topic with each other without adult input.
D) None of these answers are true.

Question 31

The Gricean maxim regarding manner refers to:

A) being as relevant as you can for most of the time.
B) maintaining clarity with brief, orderly and unambiguous statements.
C) contributing truthfulness to conversation.
D) being as informative as possible without giving too much information.

Question 32

How children use socially appropriate language is demonstrated by their use of:

A) language functions.
B) politeness.
C) non-egocentric communications.
D) scaffolding.

Question 33

Scaffolding in children's and adult's conversations demonstrates:

A) story telling skills.
B) how children understand adult communication.
C) how adults structure communication to build understanding for the child.
D) a way for adults to elicit single-word responses to questions.

Question 34

Piaget's view of children's conversations and collective monologues suggests that children:

A) conduct conversations based on their egocentric wishes.
B) conduct conversations in parallel with their same-age partners at early ages.
C) collectively share topics and language forms when they talk and play together.
D) communicate to influence their peers' thoughts and feelings.

Question 35

When adults do not understand children's communication, _____________________.

A) younger children revise their message
B) younger children repeat themselves and use signals to communicate
C) older children repeat themselves
D) older and younger children attempt clarification in the same way

Question 36

Vygotsky's theory of the function of private speech suggests that:

A) Vygotsky agrees with Piaget.
B) Vygotsky disagrees with Piaget.
C) children use private speech in a stage of transition, during which self-talk slowly is internalized.
D) children use private speech because of their immature language experience.

Question 37

increase in length and complexity of narrative structure is:

A) equally valued in most language communities.
B) negatively viewed in Japanese communities.
C) encouraged by Native American mothers.
D) None of these answers are true.

Question 38

early research on referential communication skills:

A) provided the foundation for studying children's communicative competence.
B) paralleled Piaget's view that children are egocentric.
C) illustrated that children have difficulties modifying their speech in social settings.
D) indicated that children are unable to take into account the needs of their listener.

Question 39

Children demonstrate partial understanding of language with:

A) a mixture of correct elements of language in the response.
B) incorrect answers to questions.
C) requests for clarification.
D) a statement changing the subject.

Question 40

Children's ability to sustain dialogue with contingent utterances:

A) seems to parallel increased use of memory skills
B) emerges at two years of age.
C) occurs at specific developmental stages.
D) is dependent on the nature of adult input.

Question 41

Discuss the role that prelinguistic interaction has in developing communication skills as well as in the development of language. Describe research on this topic and give examples of outcomes.

Question 42

One aspect of communicative competence that does not demonstrate differences in group- or culture-specific language styles is ___________________.

A) gender
B) age
C) ethnicity
D) social economic status

Question 43

Discuss issues regarding the interdependence of culture or group-specific language styles and the development of communicative competence, summarizing the main points in the chapter.

Question 44

Describe the different perspectives and research on the emergence of communicative intent in infancy.

Question 45

The development of conversational skills entails a number of subskills. Describe these and tell how they change over time as the child develops. Tell what the role of the adult is during these stages of development.

Question 46

Discuss the influences on sociolinguistic development that have been described in Chapter Three. Select one aspect and examine it in detail, citing references to researchers and personal anecdotes evidencing the phenomena.

Question 47

The one form of language that is influenced by the active instruction of caregivers is ___________________.

A) pragmatics
B) communicative competence
C) linguistic competence
D) sociolinguistic competence

Question 48

The question of influences on pragmatic development can be explained in terms of:

A) the nature of children's social interactions and language development.
B) biologically based developmental milestones.
C) communicative intent in initial stages of development and in the following stages of growth.
D) None of these answers are true.

Question 49

Tell what aspects of narrative skill are discussed in the text and describe the processes of developing competency in each.

Question 50

Discuss the relationship of speech act theory and components of communicative competence on the ability to maintain conversations and to tell narratives.

Question 51

Pragmatic development begins in infancy and continues into early childhood development. Describe the stages of this development and tell how features of children's language differ from adults. Identify main issues that researchers discuss within this context.

Question 52

Compare and contrast Vygotsky's and Piaget's perspectives on the study of the nature of young children's discourse, how they maintain conversation and the manner in which they acquire discourse skills. State your own views on the logic of their theories.

Question 53

Three factors that contribute to children's ability to participate in conversation are:

A) processing capacity, how many demands are being made, and how well they use the processing capacity.
B) cognitive development, genetic background and parenting style.
C) cognitive capacity, processing capacity, and environment.
D) environment, genetic background, and age.

Question 54

Explain how prelinguistic interactions such as joint attention, the mother's language and the child's reactions influence the development of communication in language.

Question 55

A clear influence on children's pragmatic language development is the:

A) socioeconomic status of adult language models.
B) attention children give to their caregivers' expression of communicative intent.
C) combination of the child's innate characteristics and experiences with expressions of communicative intent.
D) nature of social interaction provided to the child.