Which stage of language acquisition can involve some grammatical errors that may interfere with communication?

The Speech Emergence Stage is characterized by the learner beginning to produce simple sentences and engage more actively in conversation. At this point, while they are developing greater fluency, they are still likely to make grammatical errors that may interfere with effective communication. This stage represents a transitional period where students are moving from relying heavily on learned phrases to attempting to generate their own sentences.

During this stage, learners often demonstrate an increased vocabulary and can express basic ideas, but their grasp of more complex grammatical structures is still developing. Errors may include incorrect verb tenses, word order, or the use of articles, which can lead to misunderstandings or confusion in communication.

The other stages present different characteristics of language development: the Advanced Language Proficiency Stage typically indicates a higher level of proficiency with fewer errors; the Intermediate Language Proficiency Stage includes more complex sentences but also some errors, yet less frequent communication issues than in the Speech Emergence Stage; and the Silent/Receptive Stage, usually characterized by students needing time to process the language without actively speaking. Thus, the Speech Emergence Stage clearly aligns with the description of errors that might obstruct communication.