CTEL CTEL Language and Language Development 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is an example of a derivational morpheme that changes the word class of its base word?
- The '-s' in 'cats'
- The '-ed' in 'walked'
- The '-ment' in 'government' (Correct answer)
- The '-ing' in 'running'
Correct answer: The '-ment' in 'government'
The suffix '-ment' derives a noun ('government') from a verb ('govern'), changing the word's grammatical category.
Question 2: A teacher notices a student's language proficiency varies significantly depending on the topic and context. This reflects which dimension of language proficiency?
- Metalinguistic awareness
- The variability of interlanguage (Correct answer)
- Phonological competence
- First language dominance
Correct answer: The variability of interlanguage
Interlanguage is not static; learner performance varies by topic, context, and task type, reflecting its dynamic nature.
Question 3: Which of the following BEST illustrates the concept of semantic extension (broadening) in language change?
- The word 'meat' narrowing to mean only animal flesh (previously any food)
- The word 'dog' once referred only to one specific breed, now refers to all dogs (Correct answer)
- The word 'awful' shifting from 'inspiring awe' to 'terrible'
- The word 'silly' changing from 'blessed' to 'foolish'
Correct answer: The word 'dog' once referred only to one specific breed, now refers to all dogs
Semantic broadening (extension) occurs when a word's meaning expands to cover more referents, as with 'dog' generalizing to all breeds.
Question 4: A student who understands spoken English well but rarely volunteers to speak is likely in which stage of second language acquisition?
- Intermediate fluency
- Preproduction (silent period) (Correct answer)
- Advanced fluency
- Speech emergence
Correct answer: Preproduction (silent period)
During the preproduction or silent period, learners build receptive knowledge by listening and observing before producing language.
Question 5: Which sociolinguistic concept refers to the use of two distinct language varieties for different social functions within a community?
- Code-switching
- Diglossia (Correct answer)
- Pidginization
- Language attrition
Correct answer: Diglossia
Diglossia describes a situation in which two language varieties coexist, with a 'high' variety used in formal contexts and a 'low' variety used informally.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes the role of 'comprehensible output' in second language acquisition, as proposed by Merrill Swain?
- Listening to simplified input promotes acquisition
- Producing language pushes learners to notice gaps in their competence (Correct answer)
- Social interaction is the primary driver of acquisition
- Native-like pronunciation develops through imitation
Correct answer: Producing language pushes learners to notice gaps in their competence
Swain's Output Hypothesis argues that producing language—not just receiving it—forces learners to notice gaps between their interlanguage and target norms.
Question 7: Which characteristic distinguishes a creole language from a pidgin?
- A creole is used only in trade contexts while a pidgin is used at home
- A creole has native speakers and full grammatical complexity, while a pidgin does not (Correct answer)
- A creole is always written while a pidgin is always spoken
- A creole uses only one source language while a pidgin blends many
Correct answer: A creole has native speakers and full grammatical complexity, while a pidgin does not
When children acquire a pidgin as their native language, it expands into a creole with full grammatical complexity and native speakers.
CTEL CTEL Language and Language Development 5
Which of the following is an example of a derivational morpheme that changes the word class of its base word?