MLAT Phonetic Script and Association 5

Question 1

In a phonetic script exercise, '¶' = /d/ and '∞' = /u/. What does '¶∞¶' sound like?

Accepted Answer

dud

Answer

¶=/d/ and ∞=/u/, so ¶∞¶ = /d/+/u/+/d/ = 'dud.'

Question 2

Which English word pair forms a minimal pair based on place of articulation?

Accepted Answer

met / net

Answer

'met' (bilabial /m/) and 'net' (alveolar /n/) differ only in where the nasal consonant is articulated.

Question 3

In an MLAT phonetic passage, you are shown that '∑' = /s/ and '∏' = /p/. The word '∑∏∑' would be pronounced:

Accepted Answer

sps

Answer

Decoding ∑∏∑ with ∑=/s/ and ∏=/p/ yields the consonant cluster 'sps.'

Question 4

The MLAT phonetic script section is timed. What does performance under time pressure specifically assess?

Accepted Answer

Automaticity of symbol-sound retrieval

Answer

Timed performance measures how automatically a learner can retrieve the symbol-sound mapping, which reflects real-world decoding fluency.

Question 5

If a phonetic script uses a raised dot '·' to indicate a nasal vowel, what does 'a·' represent compared to 'a'?

Accepted Answer

A nasalized /a/ versus an oral /a/

Answer

The raised dot marker signals nasalization, so 'a·' is a nasalized vowel while 'a' is the plain oral vowel.

(MLAT) Modern Language Aptitude Test Practice Test