What term describes knowledge of the language system and its rules?

• A. Systemic knowledge
• B. Synonymy
• C. Textual competence
• D. Top-down processing

Answer: (A)

Systemic knowledge is understanding how the language system works—the rules of grammar, syntax, morphology, and phonology—and how these rules interact to create meaning in different contexts. It covers how forms change, how sentences are structured, and how sounds map to meanings, going beyond knowing individual words. This makes it the best fit for describing knowledge of the language system and its rules. Synonymy focuses on word relationships, not the rules of the language; textual competence concerns how we use language to produce or interpret connected text; and top-down processing is about how higher-level expectations influence perception and interpretation, not about the system's rules.