DLAB flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Constructed language

An invented language with its own sounds, word formation, and grammar. The DLAB tests the ability to infer such systems from examples rather than to know any real language.

Language aptitude

The capacity to learn a new language quickly, including sound discrimination, rule inference, and memory for verbal material. The DLAB is designed as a measure of this capacity.

DLAB subtest order

Audio stress patterns, then visual stress patterns, then morphological rules, then syntactic rules, then a combined morphology-and-syntax section with expanded vocabulary. Each section introduces its own invented language.

Stress pattern

The syllable in a word that receives emphasis. In DLAB items the position of stress follows a fixed rule tied to syllable count or syllable weight, which must be inferred from examples.

Penultimate stress rule

A common invented rule placing stress on the second-to-last syllable. Variants add exceptions, such as stressing the final syllable when it ends in a consonant or contains a long vowel.

Syllable weight

Classification of a syllable as light or heavy, usually by vowel length or a closing consonant. Many stress rules in DLAB items depend on whether the final syllable is heavy.

Audio stress items

Questions in which words are heard rather than read, and the candidate must identify which syllable is stressed or which word matches a stated pattern, relying on listening alone.

Visual stress items

Questions presenting written invented words, often with accent marks or underlining, from which the stress rule is deduced and then applied to a new set of written options.

Morphology

The study of how words are built from smaller meaningful parts. DLAB morphology items require mapping roots and affixes to meanings and combining them to produce a required translation.

Root word

The base form carrying core meaning before affixes are added. In items, the same root recurs across examples, so identifying it constrains the meanings of the attached affixes.

Affix

A bound element added to a root, such as a prefix, suffix, or infix, that changes meaning or grammatical function. Each affix in an item carries one identifiable meaning component.

Prefix versus suffix

A prefix attaches before the root and a suffix after it. Position matters in items because the same meaning may be marked by different positions depending on the invented language's rules.

Plural marker

An affix signaling more than one. Detect it by comparing singular and plural example pairs that are otherwise identical, isolating the added element as the plural morpheme.

Diminutive marker

An affix meaning small or endearing. Items often contrast a base noun with a derived form glossed as 'little X', which reveals the diminutive affix.

Agent marker

An affix turning a verb or noun into the doer of the action, as in 'write' becoming 'writer'. Identify it where a gloss changes from action to person performing the action.

Compositional meaning

The principle that a derived word's meaning is the sum of its parts in order. Applying it lets a candidate predict the gloss of an unseen combination of known roots and affixes.

Syntax

The rules governing how words combine into phrases and sentences. DLAB syntax items require inferring word order and marking conventions from translated example sentences.

Word order

The arrangement of subject, verb, and object in a sentence. Determining whether examples follow subject-object-verb or subject-verb-object is the first step in most syntax items.

Adjective placement

Whether modifiers precede or follow the noun they describe. Compare examples where a known adjective and noun co-occur to fix the position before translating a new phrase.

Case marking

Affixes or particles that signal a noun's grammatical role, such as subject or object. Case markers let a language use flexible word order, so identify them before assuming position carries meaning.

Particle

A small uninflected word marking grammatical function, such as possession or location. Particles often appear in DLAB examples and must be matched to their consistent role across sentences.

Noun class

A grammatical category, similar to gender, that governs agreement and affix choice. Some items assign different affixes to different classes, so class membership must be tracked per noun.

Agreement

Matching of grammatical features between words, such as a verb taking the same person or number as its subject. Agreement patterns in examples narrow the possible translation of a new sentence.

Translation by elimination

Answer strategy that discards options violating an already established rule, such as wrong word order or a missing plural marker, leaving the consistent option as the answer.

Rule inference

Deriving a general pattern from labeled examples and applying it to new material. This is the core skill across all DLAB sections, replacing memorization of vocabulary.

Hypothesis testing

Forming a tentative rule, checking it against every example, and revising when a counterexample appears. Essential because early rules often fail on later, more complex items.

Working memory load

The amount of verbal material held in mind while reasoning. Audio items raise this load, so rehearsing syllable patterns silently helps retain them during option comparison.

Phoneme discrimination

Distinguishing speech sounds that may differ only slightly, such as similar consonants or vowel lengths. Audio stress items depend on this ability under time pressure.

Minimal pair

Two words differing in only one sound or affix. Comparing minimal pairs in examples is the cleanest way to isolate the meaning or function of a single element.

Gloss

A short translation given for an invented word or sentence. Glosses are the data from which rules are inferred, so each gloss should be read as evidence, not decoration.

Scoring and guessing

The DLAB reports a scaled score derived from raw correct answers. Because there is no penalty for incorrect responses, unanswered items only reduce the possible score.

Time per item

Sections are separately timed and items are numerous, so a rapid first pass answering confident items and returning to harder ones preserves accuracy without losing coverage.