Chapter 5
Children Learning Language: Participating in Language Samples
Multiple Choice Questions
1. You are attempting to collect a language sample from a child who has an ear infection and has missed both of his
naps today. Per his mother, he is more grumpy, shy and quiet than usual. It is likely that his language sample will
be:
a. Reliable
b. Unreliable
c. Valid
d. Invalid
e. B and C
2. What is the minimum number of utterances needed for a language sample?
a. 25–50
b. 50-100
c. 100–150
d. 150–200
e. 200–250
3. The utterances included in a valid and reliable language sample can include:
a. Counting
b. Singing
c. Successive speaking
d. Repetitions of a word, phrase or sentence
e. A and C
4. During a language sample, a child says, “Jack runned with ladybug.” This utterance has ______ morphemes.
a. 4
b. 5
c. 6
d. 7
e. 8
5. A child produces an utterance that includes 4 morphemes, but in order for the utterance to be grammatically
correct, it would have needed to include 2 additional morphemes. In order to make it easy to spot this utterance
to analyze the errors in the future, the clinician would write _________ when counting morphemes:
a. 6 – 2
b. 4/6
c. 4 + 2
d. 2/6
e. 4
6. MLU is most valuable for: circle all that apply
a. Children ages 6 months – 3 years
b. Children ages 2 years – 5 years
c. Children using up to an average of 3 morphemes per utterance
d. Children using at least 5 morphemes per utterance
e. Children using up to an average of 5 morphemes per utterance
7. Pragmatic functions include: circle all that apply
a. Requesting objects and actions from others
b. Gaining the listener’s attention
c. Using plurals during conversation
d. Responding to questions and comments of others
e. Using semi-infinitive forms of language
8. A typical Type-Token Ratio during early childhood is:
a. 0.25
b. 0.50
c. 25%
d. 75%
e. A and C
9. During a language sample, a child says, “um um Mama’s kitty is eating.” This utterance has _____ morphemes.
a. 4
b. 5
c. 6
d. 7
e. 8
10. To determine the Type-Token Ratio, you divide ___________________ by ____________________.
a. Total number of words, number of different words
b. Number of different words, total number of utterances
c. Total number of utterances, number of morphemes
d. Total number of morphemes, total number of utterances
e. Number of different words, total number of words
11. One way to complete a ___________ analysis is to compile a list of the different types of words the child is
producing, including nouns, pronouns, modifiers, action words and function words.
a. Vocabulary
b. Grammatical
c. Pragmatic
d. Semantic
e. Morphological
12. What is the purpose of sampling a child’s language?
a. To compare a child’s abilities to typical peers and determine if intervention is needed
b. To describe the nature and extent of the child’s progress as an outcome of intervention
c. To plan for continued intervention
d. Researchers often use language samples to select children who qualify for studies about language acquisition
e. All of the above
13. During a language sample, a child says, “My my my my dog’s name Spot.” This utterance has ______
morphemes.
a. 4
b. 5
c. 6
d. 7
e. 8
14. Which of the following questions or statements is/are most likely to lead to a valid and reliable language sample?
circle all that apply
a. Tell me about the playground.
b. What is that?
c. Can you count the ducks?
d. What color is the dog?
e. Is that your mom?
15. To determine the MLU, you divide ___________________ by ____________________.
a. Total number of words, number of different words
b. Number of different words, total number of utterances
c. Total number of utterances, number of morphemes
d. Total number of morphemes, total number of utterances
e. Number of different words, total number of words
Short Answer & Fill-in-the-Blank Questions
1. One reason for recording the language sample is ___________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
2. During a language sample, a child says “woot at da wabbit and tat,” by which she means, “look at the rabbit and
cat.” A clinician employing the glossing technique would say:
__________________________________________________________________________________________
3. “Mickey Mouse” is how many morphemes? ______________
4. A child produces 350 morphemes in a language sample that includes 100 utterances. What is the child’s MLU?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
5. During his language sample, a child says, “him friend are happy” instead of “his friend is happy.” In order to
show that a morphological error occurred, what would you write when counting morphemes? _______________
Essay Questions
1. Describe 3 purposes or benefits of sampling a child’s language.
2. How would you structure a language sample session for a 4-year-old boy? Describe at least 10 methods,
strategies, activities or procedures that you would use before and/or during a language sample collection to help
facilitate interaction and communication with the child while also doing your best to ensure the sample is valid
and reliable.
3. Calculate the MLU and Type-Token Ratio of the language sample below (adult portions not shown). Show your
morpheme count of each utterance and your math in determining your answers.
1. she wants mama
2. I’m mama
3. she wants mommy to to help her
4. no she wants her bottle right now
5. she wants to feed her
6. there’s no there’s no lid on it
7. where’s the bottle
8. it doesn’t have a…it doesn’t have a top on it
9. she wants this
10. she has this
11. this bottle is broke
12. she couldn’t drink this
13. she gonna be hungry
14. she drinked my bottle now
15. her is sad
16. night-night baby
17. I wanna see the books
18. the doggie book
19. where are where are where are the doggies
20. these doggies wearing coats
21. coats on the doggies
22. I hafta wear a coat outside
23. cause it cold
24. I can’t find my mittens
25. it’s ok
26. this book has My Little Pony
27. I I I I love My Little Pony
28. the pink one
29. she is the nicer
30. bye-bye My Little Pony
Children Learning Language: Participating in Language Samples
TEST BANK ANSWERS
19. where are where are where are the doggies
5
20. these doggies wearing coats
7
21. coats on the doggies
6
22. I hafta wear a coat outside
6
23. cause it cold
3
24. I finded my mittens
5
25. it’s ok
3
26. this book has My Little Pony
4
27. I I I I love My Little Pony
3
28. the pink one
3
29. she is the nice one
5
30. bye-bye My Little Pony
2
Total number of
morphemes: 136
MLU = 136 morphemes / 30 utterances = 4.53
Type-Token Ratio = 60 different words / 118 total number of words = .508
Different words used :
1. a
2. are
3. baby
4. be
5. book(s)
6. bottle
7. broke
8. bye-bye
9. cause
10. coat(s)
11. cold
12. couldn’t
13. doesn’t
14. doggie(s)
15. drink(ed)
16. feed
17. finded
18. gonna
19. hafta
20. has
21. have
22. help
23. her
24. hungry
25. I
26. I’m
27. is
28. it
29. it’s
30. lid
31. love
32. mittens
33. mommy
34. my