Arkansas Foundations of Reading Test (FORT)

Phonological skills in oral language development refer to:

1. Understanding grammatical rules

2. Understanding social rules of language

3. Recognizing and manipulating sounds in spoken words

4. Understanding meanings of word parts

The correct answer is: Recognizing and manipulating sounds in spoken words

Phonological skills are fundamentally about the awareness and manipulation of the sound structure in spoken language. This includes recognizing individual sounds (phonemes) in words, as well as being able to segment, blend, and manipulate those sounds. For example, if a child can hear the word "cat" and identify that it starts with the /k/ sound, or if they can change that initial sound to create the word "bat," they are demonstrating phonological awareness. This skill is crucial for later reading development as it helps children connect sounds to the letters that represent them in written language. In contrast, understanding grammatical rules relates more to syntax and the structure of sentences, while social rules of language focus on pragmatics and the context of language use in communication. Additionally, understanding meanings of word parts pertains to morphological awareness, which deals with the structure of words rather than their phonological components. Thus, recognizing and manipulating sounds in spoken words is the core of phonological skills.