lsat-22-3-15

mage

15. Babies who can hear and have hearing parents who expose them to speech begin to babble at a certain age as a precursor to speaking. In the same way, deaf babies with deaf parents who communicate with them and with each other by signing begin to babble in signs at the same age. That is, they make repetitive hand gestures that constitute, within the language system of signs, the analogue of repeated syllables in speech.

The information above, if accurate, can best be used as evidence against which one of the following hypotheses?

(A) Names of persons or things are the simplest words in a language, since babies use them before using the names of actions or processes

(B) The development of language competency in babies depends primarily on the physical maturation of the vocal tract a process that requires speech- oriented vocal activity

(C) In the absence of adults who communicate with each other in their presence, babies develop idiosyncratic languages

(D) In babbling babies are unaware that the sound or gesture combinations they use can be employed in a purposive way.

(E) The making of hand gestures by hearing babies who have hearing parents should be interpreted as a part of their developing language.

what is the central idea of the stimulus?

lawyer_1

原文：能听且被能听的父母暴露在说话的环境中的婴儿在某个年龄就开始作为说话前奏的呀呀叫。父母聋的聋婴儿和父母用手势交流，他们在相同年龄也用手势呀呀叫。即他们做重复性的手势，这手势在语言系统是说话中重复性音节的对应物。

问题：下列哪个选项是错误的

B：婴儿语言能力的发展首先依赖声道的成熟，这过程需要说话。

mage

呵呵，差点连中文都看不懂了！

也就是说语言能力包括言语和手语，对吗？

lawyer_1

yep

Bensontuo

mage 发表于 2004-12-23 23:56
15. Babies who can hear and have hearing parents who expose them to speech begin to babble at a cert ...

Spot the question type: Weaken ( Negate the necessary assumptions )

Core of the argument

Deaf babe and normal babe babble in the same characteristics but in different methods. one in verbal way and the other in gestures.

Thats the evidence for us to attack the necessary assumptions within the answers.

Let us take a look for all the answers.

A. No babe use the the name of action before the name of people ( Non relevant )

B. If to determine the competency of the development of the language in babes, it must be true that it has to be primarily on the physical maturation of the vocal tract ---> speech oriented vocal activity.

So, what is the necessary assumption of it ?

Speech oriented vocal activity is required if to determine the competency of the development of the languages in babies. So, if this is true, it must also be true that the the competency of the development of the languages  for normal babies is better than it of deaf babies.

However, the evidence presented actually shows that regardless of knowing how to talk or not, they all " babble " in the same characteristics just in different ways. In that sense, the evidence did undermine the hypothesis that it is not necessary to determine the competency of the language by speech oriented vocal activity.

C. Its not really relevant to the core, since we are not discussing whether the communications between adults and the others could have babies develop idiosyncratic languages.

D. apparently, the core of this one is relies on the relationship between awareness of babe with the employment of the babbling in purposive way - Not really relevant to the assumption we seek to undermine.

E. Normal babe hearing their parents will make hand gestures, and it should be interpreted as part other developing languages. -> Ok, this is out of scope answer, since we are not talking normal babies making sign languages. we are comparing normal and deaf one.