CDI445 Final4

Language Samples Flashcards

Front: What is a language sample?
Back: A language sample evaluates an individual’s spontaneous or self-generated language in natural contexts.

Front: Why are language samples considered criterion-referenced tasks?
Back: Because the child’s language output is compared to developmental data.

Front: Are language samples usually used alone?
Back: No. They are typically used along with norm-referenced or standardized tests.

Front: What is the purpose of a language sample?
Back: To understand a child’s natural language abilities, including vocabulary, grammar, sentence length, and communication intentions.

Obtaining a Language Sample

Front: How long does a language sample usually last?
Back: Usually 10–15 minutes.

Front: What is the goal number of utterances for a language sample?
Back: The goal is usually 50–100 utterances.

Front: What type of activity is often used to obtain a child language sample?
Back: Natural, child-led play using joint attention.

Front: What is joint attention?
Back: Joint attention happens when the child and adult focus on the same object, activity, or event.

Front: How should the adult respond during a language sample?
Back: The adult should respond with semantically related information that is about the same length as the child’s utterance.

Front: Should the adult ask many questions during a language sample?
Back: No. Questions should be kept to a minimum.

Front: Why should questions be kept to a minimum?
Back: To allow the child’s spontaneous language to appear more naturally.

Analyzing a Language Sample

Front: What happens after a language sample is collected?
Back: It is recorded and transcribed.

Front: Why are language samples transcribed?
Back: So the SLP can analyze qualitative and quantitative language features.

Front: What are examples of language sample analyses?
Back: Mean Length of Utterance, Type-Token Ratio, Brown’s Morpheme Analysis, and Dore’s Speech Acts.

Mean Length of Utterance

Front: What does MLU stand for?
Back: Mean Length of Utterance.

Front: What does MLU measure?
Back: The average length of a child’s utterances in morphemes.

Front: How do you calculate MLU?
Back: Count all grammatical morphemes, then divide the total number of morphemes by the total number of utterances.

Front: What is the formula for MLU?
Back: MLU = total morphemes ÷ total utterances

Front: If a child produces 21 morphemes across 5 utterances, what is the MLU?
Back: 21 ÷ 5 = 4.2

Morphemes

Front: What is a morpheme?
Back: A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning in language.

Front: What is a free morpheme?
Back: A free morpheme is a word that can stand alone.

Front: Give examples of free morphemes.
Back: dog, it, her, drive

Front: What is a bound morpheme?
Back: A bound morpheme is a word element that cannot stand alone.

Front: Give examples of bound morphemes.
Back: re-, -s, -ing

Front: Why are bound morphemes important when calculating MLU?
Back: Because bound morphemes count as morphemes and affect the total morpheme count.

Practice Morpheme Counting

Front: How many morphemes are in “Daddy go work”?
Back: 3 morphemes

Front: How many morphemes are in “We put toys here”?
Back: 5 morphemes

Front: How many morphemes are in “I like mixing colors”?
Back: 6 morphemes

Front: How many morphemes are in “Baby is sleep”?
Back: 3 morphemes

Front: How many morphemes are in “Can you help me?”
Back: 4 morphemes

Type-Token Ratio

Front: What does TTR stand for?
Back: Type-Token Ratio.

Front: What type of analysis is Templin’s Type-Token Ratio?
Back: A semantic analysis.

Front: What does Type-Token Ratio analyze?
Back: It analyzes the relationship between the number of different words used and the total number of words in a sample.

Front: How do you calculate TTR?
Back: Divide the total number of different words by the total number of words.

Front: What is the formula for TTR?
Back: TTR = different words ÷ total words

Front: What can TTR help identify?
Back: Vocabulary diversity and possible missing word classes.

Front: What word categories can be used in TTR analysis?
Back: Nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, negatives/affirmations, pronouns, and other words.

Front: If a sample has 10 different words and 11 total words, what is the TTR?
Back: 10 ÷ 11 = 0.90

Brown’s Morpheme Analysis

Front: What type of analysis is Brown’s Morpheme Analysis?
Back: A syntactic analysis.

Front: What does Brown’s Morpheme Analysis examine?
Back: It examines whether a child is using correct grammatical morphemes expected for their age.

Front: What should the SLP note during Brown’s Morpheme Analysis?
Back: Any grammatical morphemes the child uses during the language sample.

Front: What is the child’s morpheme use compared to?
Back: The child’s age range and Brown’s Morpheme stages.

Dore’s Speech Acts

Front: What type of analysis is Dore’s Speech Acts?
Back: A pragmatic analysis.

Front: What does Dore’s Speech Acts analyze?
Back: Children’s utterances based on communication intentions.

Front: What are primitive speech acts?
Back: Basic communication intentions such as labeling, repeating, answering, greeting, protesting, and requesting.

Front: Name examples of primitive speech acts.
Back: Labeling, repeating, answering, greeting, protesting, and requesting.

Front: What are conversational speech acts?
Back: More advanced communication acts used in conversation.

Front: Name examples of conversational speech acts.
Back: Request, response to request, description, statement, acknowledgement, organizational device, performative, and miscellaneous.

Front: How do you calculate the percentage of a speech act?
Back: Divide the total number in that speech act category by the total number of utterances.

Front: What is the formula for speech act percentage?
Back: Speech act percentage = speech act category total ÷ total utterances

Practical Use of Language Sample Analysis

Front: What did the 2016 research survey ask school-based SLPs?
Back: It asked whether they use language sample analysis.

Front: What did one-third of SLPs report in the 2016 survey?
Back: One-third reported they did not use language sample analysis in the previous school year.

Front: Which SLPs were less likely to use language sample analysis?
Back: SLPs serving middle and high school students.

Front: What sample-size issue was reported in the survey?
Back: Many SLPs did not use samples larger than 50 utterances.

Front: What transcription issue was reported in the survey?
Back: Many SLPs used real-time transcription.

Front: What was the biggest reason SLPs gave for not using language sample analysis?
Back: It was too time consuming.

Tools for Language Sample Analysis

Front: What is SALT Software used for?
Back: SALT Software helps with language sample analysis.

Front: What is the average cost of SALT Software mentioned in the PowerPoint?
Back: About $200 per computer license.

Front: What is SUGAR?
Back: SUGAR is a free language sample analysis program that uses word processing programs like Word or Google Docs.

Front: What are two tools that can help with LSA usage problems?
Back: SALT Software and SUGAR.

Quick Review

Front: What are the four analyses listed for language samples?
Back: MLU, Type-Token Ratio, Brown’s Morpheme Analysis, and Dore’s Speech Acts.

Front: Which analysis focuses on sentence length?
Back: Mean Length of Utterance, or MLU.

Front: Which analysis focuses on vocabulary diversity?
Back: Type-Token Ratio, or TTR.

Front: Which analysis focuses on grammatical morphemes?
Back: Brown’s Morpheme Analysis.

Front: Which analysis focuses on communication intentions?
Back: Dore’s Speech Acts.

Front: What is the main purpose of language sample analysis?
Back: To understand a child’s natural language abilities in context.