Which term denotes the language used to describe, analyze, or explain another language, including grammatical terms and rules of syntax?

• A. Metalanguage
• B. Order of acquisition
• C. Apodosis
• D. Parsing

Answer: (A)

Metalanguage is the language we use to talk about language itself. It encompasses the terms and rules we rely on to describe grammar and syntax, such as what counts as a noun or a verb, how clauses are arranged, and how sentences are structured. When you describe how a sentence is formed, label its parts, or explain why a word is used in a certain place, you’re using metalanguage.

The other concepts don’t fit this idea. Order of acquisition refers to the sequence learners follow as they pick up language, not a language about language. Apodosis is the term for the main clause in a conditional sentence, a specific grammatical label rather than the language we use to describe language. Parsing is the process of analyzing a sentence’s structure to understand its components, which is an activity, not the descriptive language itself.