NES ESOL Exam questions and correct answers

Morpheme - correct answer in a language, the smallest unit that carries meaning; may be a word or a part of a word (such as a prefix) Acculturation - correct answer Borrowing culture traits from another group. Incorporating new traits WITHOUT altering its own culture. Register - correct answer The form of a language that is appropriate to a given situation. Varies depending on setting, relationships, linguistic interaction. Often students learn classroom langauge and are unable to speak in informal settings. Slang - correct answer Any nonstandard form of a language. Derogative sense (words & phrases not proper for social interaction). Gives sense of community. Phonology - correct answer SOUNDS of a langauge. The smallest unit of sound that can hold meaning is a (phoneme). Phonemic Awareness vs. Phonics - correct answer Phonemic awareness precedes phonics instruction. Phonics = direct correspondence between letters & sounds (require presence of print). Alphabetic principle. Both needed as child prepares to read. Phonemes & Graphemes - correct answer Phonetic alphabet /k/. Alphabetic symbols used to describe phoneme. Graphemes - an illustrative series of lettesr to describe sounds (phonemes). C in cold. K in kilogram. Long "i" as in "fly" or "igh" in sigh. Morphology - correct answer the study of the structure of words. Words are constructed out of letters. The smallest meaningful unit of a morphological system is a (morpheme). EX: Boy can stand alone or boys with other letters. (Many English exceptions: man --- men).