What term refers to the intuitive knowledge about a language that enables use?

• A. Competence
• B. Chunk
• C. Cognate
• D. Connectionism

Answer: (A)

Intuitive knowledge about a language that enables use is competence. It refers to the internal, tacit system of grammar, vocabulary, and sound patterns that lets a speaker create and understand sentences—even ones never heard before—without needing to rely on memorized examples. This knowledge is generally unconscious and guides how language is produced and understood in real communication, beyond what someone can explicitly describe.

A chunk describes a ready-made phrase or sequence used in speech, not the underlying ability to generate novel sentences. A cognate is a word in two languages that shares a common origin and looks or means similarly. Connectionism is a learning theory that explains language development through patterns and associations in neural networks, rather than naming the innate knowledge that enables use.