--- title: Leo's dad is sure "ba-ba-ba" means "bottle". What's more likely? — How babies learn to talk · tree and pragmatics description: Leo's dad is sure "ba-ba-ba" means "bottle". What's more likely? Test 8 · ★ of lesson 31 «How babies learn to talk» of the language course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was right. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/31-how-babies-learn-to-talk/t8/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Language](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/) / [How babies learn to talk](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/31-how-babies-learn-to-talk/) / t8 # Test 8 · ★ · How babies learn to talk Leo's dad is sure "ba-ba-ba" means "bottle". What's more likely? **Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** dad, ba ba ba · **What happens:** be, mean · **To what, where:** bottle This is test 8 · ★ of lesson 31 «How babies learn to talk» of the language course of Mova's primary school. The page gives the question's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause, then the 4 options as the student saw them, each with its tree and pragmatics. Every text is parsed by Mova itself. How the student answered it, with the score of every option and why: [the test at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/language/31-how-babies-learn-to-talk/#t8). ## The question {#question} *Sentence 1:* Leo's dad is sure "ba-ba-ba" means "bottle". ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:31-how-babies-learn-to-talk:t8:1 # text = Leo's dad is sure "ba-ba-ba" means "bottle". 1 Leo Leo PROPN NNP Number=Sing 3 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 2 's 's PART POS _ 1 case _ _ 3 dad dad NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 nsubj _ _ 4 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 5 cop _ _ 5 sure sure ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 0 root _ _ 6 " " PUNCT `` _ 11 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 7 ba ba NOUN NN Number=Sing 11 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 8 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 7 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 9 ba ba NOUN NN Number=Sing 11 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 10 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 11 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 11 ba ba NOUN NN Number=Sing 13 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 12 " " PUNCT '' _ 11 punct _ _ 13 means mean VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 5 ccomp _ _ 14 " " PUNCT `` _ 15 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 15 bottle bottle NOUN NN Number=Sing 13 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 16 " " PUNCT '' _ 15 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 17 . . PUNCT . _ 5 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | present | Leo's dad | | | | | sure *property* | tree rules | | 2 | **mean** | present | ba ba ba | bottle | | | | | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent bottle=Topic | One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree. *Sentence 2:* What's more likely? ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:31-how-babies-learn-to-talk:t8:2 # text = What's more likely? 1 What what PRON WP PronType=Int 4 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 2 's be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 cop _ _ 3 more more ADV RBR Degree=Cmp 4 advmod _ _ 4 likely likely ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 5 ? ? PUNCT . _ 4 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | present | | | | | | likely *property* | tree rules | ## The options {#options} ### Option 1 {#o1} Leo is saying "baby" ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:31-how-babies-learn-to-talk:t8:o1:1 # text = Leo is saying "baby" 1 Leo Leo PROPN NNP Number=Sing 3 nsubj _ _ 2 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 saying say VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ 4 " " PUNCT `` _ 5 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 5 baby baby NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 6 " " PUNCT '' _ 5 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present · progressive | Leo | baby | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent baby=Topic | ### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2} Leo is babbling to practise sounds ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:31-how-babies-learn-to-talk:t8:o2:1 # text = Leo is babbling to practise sounds 1 Leo Leo PROPN NNP Number=Sing 3 nsubj _ _ 2 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 babbling babble VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ 4 to to PART TO _ 5 mark _ _ 5 practise practise VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 3 xcomp _ _ 6 sounds sound NOUN NNS Number=Plur 5 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **babble** | present · progressive | Leo | | | | | | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V how S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 2 | **practise** | to-infinitive | Leo *not said here* | sounds | | | | | tree rules | ### Option 3 {#o3} Leo really asked for his bottle ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:31-how-babies-learn-to-talk:t8:o3:1 # text = Leo really asked for his bottle 1 Leo Leo PROPN NNP Number=Sing 3 nsubj _ _ 2 really really ADV RB _ 3 advmod _ _ 3 asked ask VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 4 for for ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 5 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 6 nmod:poss _ _ 6 bottle bottle NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | past | Leo | | | | | for Leo's bottle | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent | ### Option 4 {#o4} Leo is singing a song ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:31-how-babies-learn-to-talk:t8:o4:1 # text = Leo is singing a song 1 Leo Leo PROPN NNP Number=Sing 3 nsubj _ _ 2 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 singing sing VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ 4 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 5 song song NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **sing** *speech: express* | present · progressive | Leo | a song | | | | | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location song=Theme | **Text:** the tests of Mova's primary school, written for Mova (`world/data/school/`), as the course runner gave them to the student. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each text read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License. - ← previous: [How babies learn to talk, test 7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/31-how-babies-learn-to-talk/t7/) - next →: [How babies learn to talk, test 9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/31-how-babies-learn-to-talk/t9/) - ↑ back to [How babies learn to talk](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/31-how-babies-learn-to-talk/)