Question 50

Phoneme discrimination, babbling, holophrastic speech

The most likely sequence of language development for a hearing child begins with phoneme discrimination, followed by babbling, and ultimately leads to holophrastic speech.

A) Holophrastic speech, babbling, phoneme discrimination

This option incorrectly posits that holophrastic speech occurs before phoneme discrimination. In reality, children first learn to differentiate sounds before they begin to produce words, making this sequence inaccurate.

B) Holophrastic speech, phoneme discrimination, babbling

This sequence also misrepresents the order of language development. Holophrastic speech should not precede phoneme discrimination, as children must first be able to discern phonemes before they can produce meaningful speech.

C) Babbling, holophrastic speech, phoneme discrimination

While babbling does occur early in language development, this option incorrectly suggests that holophrastic speech comes before phoneme discrimination. Phoneme discrimination is a foundational skill that develops prior to both babbling and holophrastic speech.

D) Phoneme discrimination, babbling, holophrastic speech

This option correctly reflects the sequence of language development. Children first learn to discriminate between different phonemes, then they engage in babbling, and finally, they begin to use holophrastic speech to convey meaning.

E) Phoneme discrimination, holophrastic speech, babbling

This option inaccurately places holophrastic speech before babbling. While phoneme discrimination does come first, babbling typically follows as children begin to experiment with sound production before they can use single words meaningfully.

Conclusion

The correct sequence of phoneme discrimination, followed by babbling, and culminating in holophrastic speech accurately represents the developmental stages of language in hearing children. All other options fail to capture this progression, either by misplacing the order of phoneme discrimination or mischaracterizing the roles of babbling and holophrastic speech in language acquisition.