Abstrakt
Objectives. Test the use of language samples elicited during the presentation of standardized psychometric methods for the diagnostics of language development using methods for language sample analysis.
Validate the use of Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) against standardized measures of grammatical development in a sample of children of the same age. Subjects and settings.
Total of 135 children aged on average 72.2 months (SD=3.7) participated. Linguistic productions of the children during the administration of the WPPSI vocabulary subtest were analyzed.
This language sample was used for calculating the MLU and other indices. Additionally, children were administered Czech adaptations of standardized tests of grammatical development: TROG-2 for sentence comprehension and a test of morphological production.
Hypotheses. MLU and other sample-derived indices should show significant relationships between the test measures of grammatical comprehension and production.
Statistical analyses. Correlations, linear regression models.
Results. There were significant relationships between MLU and the tests of grammar comprehension and morphological production.
The number of be-forms and prepositions per utterance were also related to the grammar tests. MLU was independently predicted by both grammar comprehension and the production of grammatical morphology.
The results show validity of MLU in a sample of same-age children, which is rare in the available literature. Study limitations.
The language samples provided by children''s definitions differed widely in size and style, which may underestimate the relationships between MLU and grammatical test measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]