Language Comprehension & Production Flashcards
7 cards from real CASLI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Language Comprehension & Production flashcards as text
In ASL, what is the term for the use of space in front of the signer's body to represent people, objects, or locations?
Answer: Referential locus
A referential locus is a specific point established in signing space to represent a person, object, or location that can be referenced throughout the discourse.
When an ASL signer uses a classifier predicate such as CL:1 moving toward CL:3, what type of morphological process is being demonstrated?
Answer: Simultaneous morphology
Simultaneous morphology in ASL allows multiple morphemes (handshape, movement, location) to be expressed at the same time within a single sign.
Which feature distinguishes ASL topic-comment structure from English subject-predicate structure?
Answer: The topic is fronted and marked with raised eyebrows
In ASL, topicalization moves the topic to the front of the sentence and is non-manually marked with raised eyebrows to signal topic-comment structure.
An interpreter notices a Deaf client using mouthing without voice during their signing. This mouthing is most likely functioning as:
Answer: A lexical mouth morpheme that modifies meaning
Mouth morphemes in ASL are non-manual signals where specific mouth movements modify the meaning or intensity of a sign without necessarily mouthing an English word.
Which prosodic feature in ASL most closely parallels intonation in spoken languages?
Answer: Non-manual signals including facial expression and head movement
Non-manual signals such as eyebrow position, head tilt, and body shift serve prosodic functions in ASL analogous to intonation in spoken languages.
What does it mean when an ASL signer uses a 'constructed dialogue' technique?
Answer: The signer directly quotes or enacts another person's words or actions using role shift
Constructed dialogue (role shift or direct discourse) involves the signer shifting their body, eye gaze, and expression to embody another character and report their speech or actions.
In CASLI performance assessments, 'source language comprehension' is evaluated separately from 'target language production' primarily because:
Answer: Strong production can mask weak comprehension during interpretation
A candidate may produce fluent-sounding output that does not accurately reflect the source, so CASLI evaluates comprehension and production as distinct competencies.