DLAB Phonetic Pattern Recognition

Question 1

In a language, the words 'pata,' 'tapa,' and 'kapa' all end with the same syllable. If the stress rule is 'stress falls on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable,' which syllable is stressed in 'pata'?

Accepted Answer

The first syllable 'pa'

Answer

'Pata' has two syllables: pa-ta. The penultimate (second-to-last) syllable is 'pa,' the first syllable. Penultimate stress is the most common stress pattern worldwide, found in Polish, Swahili, and many other languages.

Question 2

The sounds /p/, /t/, and /k/ are all voiceless stops. What property do they share that makes them 'voiceless'?

Accepted Answer

The vocal cords do not vibrate during production

Answer

Voiceless sounds are produced without vocal cord vibration. If you place your hand on your throat and say /p/, you won't feel vibration (voiceless). Compare with /b/ where you will feel vibration (voiced). This voicing distinction is fundamental to phonetics.

Question 3

In Language X, 'ban' and 'pan' are different words with different meanings. What does this tell you about /b/ and /p/ in this language?

Accepted Answer

They are separate phonemes (distinctive sounds)

Answer

Because swapping /b/ for /p/ changes the word's meaning (ban ≠ pan), these sounds are separate phonemes — they create minimal pairs. A minimal pair proves that two sounds are phonemically distinct in a given language.

Question 4

A language has the following syllable pattern: every syllable must be Consonant-Vowel (CV). Which of these words could exist in this language?

Accepted Answer

banu

Answer

'Banu' consists of two CV syllables: ba-nu. 'Strak' has consonant clusters (str-), 'grim' ends in a consonant (CVC), and 'elf' starts with a vowel (VC). Only 'banu' strictly follows the CV syllable template. Japanese is a well-known CV-dominant language.

Question 5

In a tone language, 'ma' with a high tone means 'mother' and 'ma' with a low tone means 'horse.' What role does pitch play in this language?

Accepted Answer

It distinguishes word meaning (lexical tone)

Answer

When pitch differences change the meaning of otherwise identical syllables, the language has lexical tone. The same consonant-vowel sequence /ma/ has completely different meanings depending on its pitch pattern. Mandarin Chinese has four tones that function this way.

DLAB - Defense Language Aptitude Battery Practice Test

DLAB - Defense Language Aptitude Battery Practice Test

DLAB Phonetic Pattern Recognition