A child's ability to understand the rules of language demonstrates the better use of which of the following?

• A. Semantics
• B. Phonology
• C. Pragmatics
• D. Syntax

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the definitions of the key terms: Semantics refers to the meaning of words and sentences; Phonology deals with the sound system of a language; Pragmatics involves the social use of language in context; Syntax is the set of rules that govern the structure of sentences.
2. Recognize that the problem focuses on a child's ability to understand the rules of language, which specifically relates to how words are arranged to form sentences.
3. Identify that understanding the rules of language structure (how words combine to form sentences) is directly related to Syntax, as it governs sentence formation and grammatical rules.
4. Compare the other options to see why they are less appropriate: Semantics is about meaning, Phonology about sounds, and Pragmatics about social context, none of which focus on rule-based sentence structure.
5. Conclude that the child's ability to understand language rules is best explained by Syntax, as it involves the knowledge of grammatical rules and sentence construction.