What is the awareness of one's own use of language, such as defining a word?

• A. Metalinguistic awareness
• B. Phonological awareness
• C. Lexical knowledge
• D. Pragmatic competence

Answer: (A)

Metalinguistic awareness is the capacity to think about language itself. When you can define a word or reflect on how language works, you’re engaging with language at a meta level, noticing meanings, forms, and how words are used. The other terms describe related abilities but not this meta-level reflection: phonological awareness is about sounds and how they form words; lexical knowledge is knowledge of words and their meanings; pragmatic competence concerns using language appropriately in social situations. Since the focus is on awareness of one’s own use of language, such as defining a word, metalinguistic awareness is the best fit.