Which statement regarding language acquisition is FALSE?

• A. Young children often have the ability to comprehend written language just as early as they can comprehend or reproduce oral language when given appropriate instruction.
• B. Young children often comprehend spoken language before written language.
• C. Language acquisition involves receptive and productive skills.
• D. Exposure to language in meaningful contexts supports acquisition.

Answer: (A)

A key idea here is how language develops over time: listening and understanding come before reading and writing. In practice, children typically grasp spoken language and can comprehend and use words and sentences long before they’re able to read or decode written text. Reading involves specific skills such as phonemic awareness, letter-sound knowledge, and decoding strategies that take time to develop, even with instruction. So the claim that young children comprehend written language as early as they comprehend or reproduce oral language isn’t accurate. By contrast, it's well-supported that children understand spoken language before reading, language use includes both receptive and productive skills, and exposing children to language in meaningful contexts helps them learn.