Meaning & use
receptive language
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Meanings
noununcountablespecialist
The ability to understand words and sentences that you hear, read or see, rather than the ability to produce them.
Grammar: Uncountable, so no plural and no 'a/an': say 'Receptive language develops early,' not 'a receptive language develops early.'
Patterns
- receptive language skills
- a test of receptive language
- receptive language development
A toddler's receptive language is usually ahead of her spoken language, so she may understand 'Put your shoes on' long before she can say the words.
The teacher assessed the students' receptive language by reading a story aloud and asking them to point to the pictures.
Difficulties with receptive language can make a child seem disobedient when in fact he has not understood the instruction.
noununcountablespecialist
In language teaching, the skill of understanding written or spoken texts as opposed to speaking and writing.
Grammar: Used in the plural as 'receptive skills' when talking about listening and reading together.
Patterns
- receptive skills
- teaching receptive language
- receptive and productive skills
Reading and listening are called receptive skills because the learner receives the language rather than creates it.
Her course focuses on receptive language first, with plenty of listening practice before students are asked to speak.
The exam tests receptive language through two long reading passages and a recorded interview.
Common combinations
- receptive language skills
- His receptive language skills are strong, but he rarely speaks in class.
- receptive language development
- Singing songs with your baby supports receptive language development.
- test receptive language
- The speech therapist will test receptive language before deciding on a treatment plan.
- delay in receptive language
- A delay in receptive language can be an early sign of a hearing problem.
- receptive and expressive language
- The report describes both her receptive and expressive language in detail.
Synonyms and how they differ
- comprehension
- Comprehension is the general ability to understand something, especially a text; receptive language is the broader specialist term for understanding any language input.
- listening and reading
- This everyday phrase names the two activities; receptive language is the technical label for the underlying ability.
Opposites
Word family
- receptive adjective
- Willing to listen to or accept ideas; in linguistics, relating to understanding input.
- receptively adverb
- In a way that shows understanding of language input, as in 'She scored highly receptively.'
- reception noun
- The act of receiving something; not used for language ability.
Commonly confused: receptive language or expressive language? receptive language or receptivity?
receptive language vs expressive language
Expressive language is the words a person can produce; receptive language is what they can understand. A child may have good receptive language but limited expressive language.
receptive language vs receptivity
Receptivity means openness to new ideas, not the ability to understand language.
Practice
A teacher says: 'We test ______ first, because students must understand a question before they can answer it.' Which phrase best completes the sentence?
Choose one answer.
Receptive language is the ability to understand input, which logically comes before answering. 'Expressive language' is the opposite skill, 'reception language' is not a standard term, and 'receptive languages' is wrong because the term is uncountable.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “receptive language”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.