Question

A study on the use of the sounds in a language L was carried out in three geographical regions across both adult speakers and children below the age of 6 years. The palatal glide [j] and the retroflex lateral [l] are variants (allophones) of the standard sound [l], a retroflex glide. The table below describes usage of the three sounds across the three regions and the two populations. Which of the following conclusions are valid given the results of the study? \begin{center} \begin{tabular}{|c|cc|cc|cc|} \hline Sounds in L & \multicolumn{2}{c|}{Region 1} & \multicolumn{2}{c|}{Region 2} & \multicolumn{2}{c|}{Region 3}
& Adults & Children & Adults & Children & Adults & Children
\hline [j] & 1\% & 75\% & 28\% & 80\% & 25\% & 78\%
[l] & 11\% & 23\% & 45\% & 18\% & 74\% & 22\%
[l] & 88\% & 2\% & 27\% & 2\% & 1\% & 0\%
\hline \end{tabular} \end{center}

• A. \textbf{Children across all three regions prefer to substitute [j] and [l] for [l].}
• B. \textbf{As we move from Region 1 to Region 2 to Region 3, there is a dialect shift with a progressive loss of [l].}
• C. \textbf{Children diverge from the adult patterns in all three regions and choose [j] preferentially.}
• D. \textbf{Children's choice of a variant can be directly correlated to the dominant variant that the adults of each dialect use.}

Hint:

When evaluating such tables, check (i) \textbf{within-group preferences} (children vs. adults), and (ii) \textbf{across-region trends}. A monotonic change across regions signals a dialect shift.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A, B, C

Step 1: Children vs. [r]. Across Regions 1–3, children use [r] at only 2\%, 2\%, and 0\% respectively, overwhelmingly choosing [j] or [É­]. \(\Rightarrow\) (A) True. Step 2: Adult trend in [r] by region. Adults' [l] usage falls 88\% → 27\% → 1\% from Region 1 to 2 to 3, showing a clear progressive loss (dialect shift). \(\Rightarrow\) (B) True. Step 3: Children's preferred variant and divergence from adults. Children favor [j] most in all regions (75\%, 80\%, 78\%). Adult dominants are different: R1 \([l]\), R2 \([l]\), R3 \([l]\). Thus children diverge from adult patterns and choose [j] preferentially. \(\Rightarrow\) (C) True. Step 4: Correlation with adult dominant variant. Since children pick [j] in all regions while adults' dominant choice varies (\([r]\) or \([l]\)), there is no direct correlation. \(\Rightarrow\) (D) False. \[ \boxed{Correct Answer: (A), (B), (C)} \]