NYSTCE English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Practice Test

Which developmental stage involves students managing to listen actively but not speak?

1. Interlanguage

2. Early Production

3. Silent Period

4. Morpheme Acquisition Order

The correct answer is: Silent Period

The Silent Period is characterized by learners being exposed to a new language while actively listening and absorbing the language input but not yet producing speech. During this stage, students are not ready to speak and often focus on comprehension as they process sounds, vocabulary, and basic structures of the new language without the pressure to respond verbally. This phase is crucial for language acquisition, as it allows students to build their understanding of the language in a low-stress environment. Other stages, such as Early Production, involve attempts at speaking, while Interlanguage refers to the transitional state between the learner's native language and the target language. Morpheme Acquisition Order pertains to the sequence in which grammatical morphemes are typically acquired, not to a specific developmental stage of language use.