COMD 4450 EXAM QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS LATEST UPDATE 2026
components of language - Answers phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics
phonology - Answers -using speech sounds in a particular sequence
-how phonemes are strung together
semantics - Answers word meaning
morphology - Answers -plurals, vern tense, adverbs
-rules deriving word forms
pragmatics - Answers -social appropriateness
syntax - Answers grammar; how words are sequenced in a sentence
normal language development; prelinguistic communication development - Answers -elements:
illocution, locution, perlocution
-infant's behaviors are not intentional communication, but at interpreted as intentional
-protoconversation (3 months)
-triadic conversation (6 months)
-illocutionary period (8-12 months)
-locutionary period (12 months)
illocution - Answers intention to communicate
locution - Answers the speaker expressing intention
perlocution - Answers the listener interpreting another's intended utterance
protoconversation - Answers caregiver initiates an interaction using play dialogue; pauses and allows
baby to vocalize
tradic interactions - Answers interaction extends to object of interest
illocutionary period - Answers -infant shows signs of intended communication
-following eye direction
-gaze
-gestures
locutionary period - Answers -use joint attention to locate objects outside of their immediate visual
field
-use words more than gestures
prelinguistic vocal development - Answers -stage 1: reflexive vocalizations
-stage 2: cooing and laughter
-stage 3: vocal play
-stage 4: canonical babbling
-stage 5: jargon stage
prelinguistic vocal development: stage 1 - Answers -reflexive vocalizations (birth-2 months)
-birth cry in response to first breath
-cry= pain, hunger, danger
-coughing, grunting, burping
-vegetative sounds= sighs and other sounds associated with feeding
prelinguistic vocal development: stage 2 - Answers -cooing and laughter (2-4 months)
-vocalizations associated with pleasure and laugher
-cooing= comfort
-laughing= 16 weeks
-crying and vegetative sounds are reduced from 12 weeks on
prelinguistic vocal development: stage 3 - Answers -vocal play (4-6 months)
-greater number of vowel and consonant-like sounds
-usage of front plosives and nasals
-marginal babbling
-squeals and yells
marginal babbling - Answers -consonant and consonant-like sounds combine with vowels to create
approximate syllables
prelinguistic vocal development: stage 4 - Answers -canonical babbling (6+ months)
-reduplicated and nonreduplicated babbling
-well-formed syllables that contain at least 1 vowel-like sound quickly
reduplicated babbling - Answers -CVC
-consonant remains constant
, -"mamama"
-slight vowel change
nonreduplicated babbling - Answers -string of consonant vowel productions
-consonant and vowel may change
-"mababena"
-frequent at 12-13 months
prelinguistic vocal development: stage 5 - Answers -jargon stage (10+ months)
-first words
-parents are convinced the child is communicating
-produce stops, nasals, glides
first word period: phonology - Answers -produced around the child's first birthday
-true word: needs to be used consistently; resembles adult target word
first word period: semantics - Answers -object permanence; consistency in the environment (Piaget)
-substantive words: refer to classes or categories; use few attributes (use color and size rather than
names)
-relational words: words that describe relationships or characteristics among objects (movements);
rejection, denial, disappearance, "no"= rejection or denial
-social: "hi" and "bye"; do not lead to later grammatical complexity
first word period: pragmatics - Answers -9-16/18 months
-function: controlling one that is used to satisfy desires and needs while interacting with people
-conversational skills develop (turn taking, maintaining conversation)
2-word utterances - Answers -18-26 months
-semantic/syntactic development
-productions reflect meaning based on different relationships among the words in utterances
-expressive vocab: 18 months; 50 words
-single word lexicon: 24 months; 120-300 words
types of 2-word utterances - Answers -table 2.4 (pg.44)
Preschool and early school years: phonology - Answers -master production of speech sounds
-produce words with all speech sounds
-phonological processes: assimilation, syllable structure, substitution
assimilation - Answers -one sound in a word affects the production of another sound
-"gog" for "dog"
syllable structure - Answers -omit consonants in the final position
-"bi" for "bite"
-"bu" for "blue"
substitution - Answers -use one group of sounds
-stops for fricatives
-"toap" for "soap"
Preschool and early school years: semantics - Answers -receptive vocabulary expands
-fast mapping
-spatial and temporal terms grow: location in space and time; prepositions
-deictic words
deictic words - Answers -terms that have changing references
-determiners vary depending on location of listener and speaker
-when speaker and listener switch; you use different language
-referents that change: you and I, here and there, this and that, come and go, bring and take
fast mapping - Answers -lexical acquisition
-listener creates a representation for unfamiliar words based on single exposure
Preschool and early school years: morphology - Answers -MLU increases with age
-# of morphemes corresponds with age
-increases until the age of 5 and then plateaus
Preschool and early school years: syntax - Answers -2 word utterances expand
-learn negatives and how to ask questions
-yes/no interrogatives
-Wh questions to request information
-learn compound and complex sentences
compound sentence - Answers more than 1 independent clause
components of language - Answers phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics
phonology - Answers -using speech sounds in a particular sequence
-how phonemes are strung together
semantics - Answers word meaning
morphology - Answers -plurals, vern tense, adverbs
-rules deriving word forms
pragmatics - Answers -social appropriateness
syntax - Answers grammar; how words are sequenced in a sentence
normal language development; prelinguistic communication development - Answers -elements:
illocution, locution, perlocution
-infant's behaviors are not intentional communication, but at interpreted as intentional
-protoconversation (3 months)
-triadic conversation (6 months)
-illocutionary period (8-12 months)
-locutionary period (12 months)
illocution - Answers intention to communicate
locution - Answers the speaker expressing intention
perlocution - Answers the listener interpreting another's intended utterance
protoconversation - Answers caregiver initiates an interaction using play dialogue; pauses and allows
baby to vocalize
tradic interactions - Answers interaction extends to object of interest
illocutionary period - Answers -infant shows signs of intended communication
-following eye direction
-gaze
-gestures
locutionary period - Answers -use joint attention to locate objects outside of their immediate visual
field
-use words more than gestures
prelinguistic vocal development - Answers -stage 1: reflexive vocalizations
-stage 2: cooing and laughter
-stage 3: vocal play
-stage 4: canonical babbling
-stage 5: jargon stage
prelinguistic vocal development: stage 1 - Answers -reflexive vocalizations (birth-2 months)
-birth cry in response to first breath
-cry= pain, hunger, danger
-coughing, grunting, burping
-vegetative sounds= sighs and other sounds associated with feeding
prelinguistic vocal development: stage 2 - Answers -cooing and laughter (2-4 months)
-vocalizations associated with pleasure and laugher
-cooing= comfort
-laughing= 16 weeks
-crying and vegetative sounds are reduced from 12 weeks on
prelinguistic vocal development: stage 3 - Answers -vocal play (4-6 months)
-greater number of vowel and consonant-like sounds
-usage of front plosives and nasals
-marginal babbling
-squeals and yells
marginal babbling - Answers -consonant and consonant-like sounds combine with vowels to create
approximate syllables
prelinguistic vocal development: stage 4 - Answers -canonical babbling (6+ months)
-reduplicated and nonreduplicated babbling
-well-formed syllables that contain at least 1 vowel-like sound quickly
reduplicated babbling - Answers -CVC
-consonant remains constant
, -"mamama"
-slight vowel change
nonreduplicated babbling - Answers -string of consonant vowel productions
-consonant and vowel may change
-"mababena"
-frequent at 12-13 months
prelinguistic vocal development: stage 5 - Answers -jargon stage (10+ months)
-first words
-parents are convinced the child is communicating
-produce stops, nasals, glides
first word period: phonology - Answers -produced around the child's first birthday
-true word: needs to be used consistently; resembles adult target word
first word period: semantics - Answers -object permanence; consistency in the environment (Piaget)
-substantive words: refer to classes or categories; use few attributes (use color and size rather than
names)
-relational words: words that describe relationships or characteristics among objects (movements);
rejection, denial, disappearance, "no"= rejection or denial
-social: "hi" and "bye"; do not lead to later grammatical complexity
first word period: pragmatics - Answers -9-16/18 months
-function: controlling one that is used to satisfy desires and needs while interacting with people
-conversational skills develop (turn taking, maintaining conversation)
2-word utterances - Answers -18-26 months
-semantic/syntactic development
-productions reflect meaning based on different relationships among the words in utterances
-expressive vocab: 18 months; 50 words
-single word lexicon: 24 months; 120-300 words
types of 2-word utterances - Answers -table 2.4 (pg.44)
Preschool and early school years: phonology - Answers -master production of speech sounds
-produce words with all speech sounds
-phonological processes: assimilation, syllable structure, substitution
assimilation - Answers -one sound in a word affects the production of another sound
-"gog" for "dog"
syllable structure - Answers -omit consonants in the final position
-"bi" for "bite"
-"bu" for "blue"
substitution - Answers -use one group of sounds
-stops for fricatives
-"toap" for "soap"
Preschool and early school years: semantics - Answers -receptive vocabulary expands
-fast mapping
-spatial and temporal terms grow: location in space and time; prepositions
-deictic words
deictic words - Answers -terms that have changing references
-determiners vary depending on location of listener and speaker
-when speaker and listener switch; you use different language
-referents that change: you and I, here and there, this and that, come and go, bring and take
fast mapping - Answers -lexical acquisition
-listener creates a representation for unfamiliar words based on single exposure
Preschool and early school years: morphology - Answers -MLU increases with age
-# of morphemes corresponds with age
-increases until the age of 5 and then plateaus
Preschool and early school years: syntax - Answers -2 word utterances expand
-learn negatives and how to ask questions
-yes/no interrogatives
-Wh questions to request information
-learn compound and complex sentences
compound sentence - Answers more than 1 independent clause
