Praxis World Languages flashcards

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

Interpretive listening

One-way receptive mode in which the listener decodes spoken text and constructs meaning but cannot negotiate, clarify, or request repetition from the speaker.

Top-down processing

Using background knowledge, topic schema, and situational context to predict and confirm meaning while listening, rather than decoding the input word by word.

Bottom-up processing

Decoding sounds, phonemes, and individual words to build meaning from the smallest units upward; it complements top-down processing during listening.

Advance organizer

A pre-listening scaffold such as previewed key vocabulary, a topic statement, or a question set that activates schema before the audio begins.

Authentic listening text

Unmodified recorded material produced for real audiences, such as announcements, podcasts, or news broadcasts, rather than scripted textbook dialogue.

Listening task difficulty factors

Speech rate, unfamiliar accent, background noise, and lexical density raise difficulty; artificially slowing the audio changes what the task actually measures.

Skimming versus scanning

Skimming reads for global gist while scanning searches for a specific detail; the verb in the question stem signals which strategy is required.

False cognate

A word resembling an English word but differing in meaning, such as Spanish embarazada (pregnant) or German aktuell (current), a predictable source of misreading.

Inference item

A comprehension question whose answer is not stated literally but must be derived by combining textual evidence with the reader's background knowledge.

Text-type alignment

Matching reader proficiency to text: Novice reads signs, forms, and lists; Intermediate reads short articles and letters; Advanced reads multi-paragraph expository prose.

Schema activation

Recalling prior knowledge about a topic, genre, or culture before reading, which improves comprehension of unfamiliar target-language texts.

Interpersonal writing

Two-way written exchange such as a text chat or e-mail thread, in which participants negotiate meaning across turns and respond directly to each other.

Register

The level of formality in language, such as tú/usted, du/Sie, or tu/vous, chosen according to the audience's age, status, and social distance.

Task completion

A rubric criterion measuring whether the response addresses every element of the prompt, including answering all questions and asking the required follow-up questions.

Circumlocution

Describing, defining, or paraphrasing a concept when the precise word is unavailable, allowing the message to continue without abandoning it.

Formulaic frame

Conventional openings and closings such as salutation, greeting, and sign-off that are expected in e-mail and letter tasks and scored under conventions.

Writing process

Prewriting, drafting, revising for content, editing for accuracy, and publishing; revision is most effective when separated from the drafting stage.

Cohesive devices

Connectors, transition words, and pronoun reference that link sentences into paragraph-level discourse, a defining marker of Advanced writing.

Holistic versus analytic rubric

Holistic scoring gives one overall judgment; analytic scoring rates separate criteria such as task completion, vocabulary, language control, and cultural appropriateness.

Orthographic meaning contrast

Diacritics and spelling that change meaning, such as sí/si, año/ano, or ou/où; misusing them counts as an accuracy error in presentational writing.

Paragraph-level discourse

Connected text of several sentences organized around one idea with transitions, the typical target of Advanced-level writing and speaking tasks.

Interpersonal speaking

Spontaneous two-way oral interaction in which both speakers co-construct meaning and can request clarification or repair breakdowns in real time.

Clarification request

An interactional move such as ¿Cómo? or Repita, por favor that repairs a comprehension breakdown and keeps the conversation moving.

Negotiation of meaning

The collaborative repair sequence of checking, clarifying, and restating that speakers use when comprehension fails during an interaction.

Comprehensibility

The degree to which a listener understands the speaker; raters judge pronunciation by interference with meaning rather than by native-like accent.

Turn-taking

Managing when to speak, yield the floor, and respond, including initiating questions instead of only answering them in a role-play task.

Communication strategy

A deliberate move such as paraphrase, approximation, or gesture used to convey meaning when the speaker's linguistic resources fall short.

Presentational speaking

Planned one-way oral production for an audience with no negotiation of meaning, typically allowing keyword notes rather than a read-aloud script.

Discourse organization

The introduction, sequenced body, and conclusion that structure a presentation and are rated as a separate rubric category.

Fluency

The rate and smoothness of speech, including pause length and hesitation, which is rated separately from grammatical accuracy in speaking rubrics.

Cultural comparison

Presenting products, practices, and perspectives of the target culture alongside the learner's own, a common Integrated Performance Assessment presentational task.

Visual aid

A supporting graphic or prop that reinforces the spoken message; text-heavy slides that replace speech weaken the presentational speaking construct.