Language Development

Question 1

Nonliteral phrases consisting of idioms, metaphors, smiles, and proverbs

Answer 1

Figurative Language

Question 2

Consistent vocal patterns that function as meaningful “words” for an infant. This is a transition to words

Answer 2

Phonetically Consistent Forms (PCF)

Question 3

An adult response to a child’s utterance in which the adult adds to the child’s utterance to provide a more complex example of what the child has said

Answer 3

Reformulation

Question 4

An individual’s personal dictionary of words and meanings

Answer 4

Lexicon

Question 5

A process in which a child infers the meaning of a word from context and uses it in a similar context at a later time. A fuller definition evolves over time. This enables preschool children to expand their vocabularies quickly by being able to use a word without fully understanding the meaning.

Answer 5

Fast Mapping

Question 6

The average length of utterances, measured in morphemes. In English, this is an important measure of preschool development because language increases in complexity as it becomes longer

Answer 6

Mean length of utterance (MLU)

Question 7

Abilities that enable a child to consider language in the abstract, to make judgments about the correctness of language, and to create verbal contexts, such as writing

Answer 7

Metalinguistic Skills

Question 8

The use, function, or purpose of communication; the study of communicative acts and contexts

Answer 8

Pragmatics

Question 9

How words are arranged in sentences

Answer 9

Syntax

Question 10

the study of word and language meaning

Answer 10

Semantics