DLAB key terms

A language deliberately invented by a person or team rather than developed naturally over time. The DLAB's invented grammar sections use miniature conlangs, so recognizing that rules are artificial and fully specified helps candidates stop searching for real-world parallels.

A made-up system of word formation and sentence structure presented for analysis. Every rule needed to answer is contained in the given examples, so candidates should derive patterns from the data rather than assume English or any familiar language applies.

The study of how words are built from smaller meaningful units such as roots, prefixes, and suffixes. The DLAB leans heavily on morphology because identifying which word part carries which meaning is the core skill in its invented-language questions.

The core part of a word that carries its basic meaning and remains after removable affixes are stripped away. Isolating roots across several example words is usually the fastest way to crack an unfamiliar language's vocabulary.

A meaningful element attached to a root, such as a prefix, suffix, infix, or circumfix. In DLAB-style problems, affixes usually encode categories like number, tense, person, or case, so tracking each one reveals the underlying system.

An affix placed before a root, as in re- in redo. Invented-language items often add prefixes to mark negation, direction, or quantity, and comparing prefixed and unprefixed forms exposes what the prefix contributes.

An affix placed after a root, as in -ness in happiness. Suffixes in test languages frequently signal grammatical information like plural number, past tense, or noun class, making them high-value patterns to isolate.

Changing a word's form to mark grammatical categories such as tense, number, case, or person without creating a new dictionary entry. Spotting inflectional endings lets a candidate match a stem across sentences that differ only in grammatical role.

Forming a new word from an existing one by adding affixes, often changing the part of speech, as when a verb becomes a noun. Distinguishing derivation from inflection matters because derived forms may carry meanings the base word lacks.

The rules governing how words combine into phrases and sentences. DLAB items test syntax when they ask which arrangement of known words produces a grammatical sentence in the invented language.

The conventional sequence of subject, object, and verb, or of nouns and modifiers, within a language. Comparing several translated examples reveals whether an invented language is subject-verb-object, subject-object-verb, or something else.

A grammatical marking on a noun or pronoun that shows its role in the sentence, such as subject, object, or possessor. Case endings are common in test languages and can be decoded by comparing the same noun in different sentence positions.

The requirement that related words share matching features, such as a verb agreeing with its subject in number or person. Agreement patterns let candidates link unknown words to known ones and infer which element controls which.

The role a phrase plays relative to a verb, such as subject, direct object, or indirect object. Identifying these roles from affixes or word order is essential for translating invented sentences accurately.

The sound system of a language, including which sounds occur and how they combine. The DLAB's auditory sections test whether a candidate can hold unfamiliar sound sequences in memory and distinguish similar-sounding syllables.

The smallest sound unit that can change a word's meaning in a given language. Recognizing phonemes as contrastive units helps candidates notice when two similar-sounding invented words are actually different words.

Two words that differ in exactly one sound yet have different meanings, such as pat and bat. Minimal pairs train the ear to detect meaningful sound contrasts, a skill the listening portions of language-aptitude tests probe.

The ability to hear and distinguish small differences between speech sounds. This underlies the DLAB's audio-based questions, where candidates must decide whether two heard forms are identical or differ in a single consonant or vowel.

The relative emphasis placed on a syllable within a word or phrase. Invented-language audio items may vary stress to signal meaning, so candidates should listen for which syllable is strongest rather than only for segment sounds.

Understanding spoken language well enough to extract meaning from it. Because several DLAB sections present material only by ear, practice in retaining and interpreting heard sequences is directly relevant to performance.

The limited mental workspace used to hold and manipulate information briefly. Language-aptitude tests load this capacity with unfamiliar sounds and rule sets, so strategies like chunking help candidates keep more material active.

Grouping separate items into larger meaningful units so more can be held in memory at once. Applied to invented words, chunking turns a long string of syllables into a few memorable pieces.

A memory aid that links new information to something already familiar, such as a vivid image or a rhyme. Mnemonics help candidates retain invented vocabulary long enough to apply it in later questions.

Deriving a general rule from a set of specific examples without being told the rule. This is the central reasoning skill in the DLAB's grammar sections, where candidates must infer how an unfamiliar system works from sample sentences.

Extending an inferred pattern to new cases beyond the examples that revealed it. Test items often require applying a discovered rule to an unseen sentence, so candidates must confirm the rule holds across all given examples first.

Solving a problem by recognizing that one relationship matches another, as in A is to B as C is to D. The DLAB uses this format with invented words, so candidates should name the relationship before choosing an answer.

Converting meaning from one language into another while preserving sense. In DLAB-style tasks, translation questions ask candidates to render invented sentences into English using only the vocabulary and rules supplied in the prompt.

Linking a word or form to its meaning, often by matching it against known translations in parallel examples. Building a running map of which invented form means what is a practical way to handle multi-sentence prompts.

A word related to a word in another language by shared origin, such as English father and German Vater. Recognizing cognates can occasionally help with real languages, but invented test languages may deliberately avoid them.

A classification of nouns into categories that affect agreement with articles, adjectives, or verbs. Invented-language items may assign arbitrary genders, so candidates must read the category from the examples rather than from meaning.

A system grouping nouns into categories that trigger matching forms elsewhere in the sentence. Noun classes may be based on animacy, shape, or other features, and the grouping must be inferred from how words pattern together.

A word like a, an, or the that signals whether a noun phrase is definite or indefinite. Invented languages may place articles differently or mark definiteness with affixes, so candidates should watch how nouns change across contexts.

A word that stands in for a noun phrase, such as he, she, it, or they. Pronoun forms in test languages often encode person, number, and gender, providing compact clues to a sentence's structure.

The grammatical marking of when an action occurs relative to a reference point, such as past, present, or future. Comparing the same verb across sentences with different time words reveals which affix carries tense.

A grammatical category describing how an action unfolds, for example whether it is completed or ongoing. Aspect is distinct from tense, and test languages may mark it separately, so candidates should not assume one ending covers both.

The marking that turns a statement into its opposite, as with not in English. Invented-language items often introduce a negative particle or affix, and locating it is a reliable first step in decoding unfamiliar sentences.

The process of marking a noun or pronoun as referring to more than one. Because plural markers are frequent and highly regular in test languages, they are often the easiest pattern to identify and exploit.

A rough distinction between languages whose rhythm is driven by stressed beats and those giving syllables more even timing. Awareness of rhythm differences helps candidates follow unfamiliar speech in listening tasks without relying on word recognition.

Aptitude predicts how quickly someone can learn a new language, while achievement measures what has already been learned. The DLAB is designed as an aptitude measure, so it tests reasoning with novel material rather than prior language knowledge.