In the Speech Emergence Stage, learners can:

• A. Up to 2,000 words; simple phrases and sentences; begin to initiate short conversations
• B. Up to 5,000 words; fluent conversations
• C. Use simple phrases and sentences and initiate short conversations; understand 2-step directions
• D. Silent period

Answer: (C)

In the Speech Emergence stage, learners start to speak with more confidence, using simple phrases and sentences and able to initiate short conversations. They also understand more complex directions, such as two-step commands. This combination—speaking in longer phrases and participating in conversations while following multi-step instructions—best matches what students can do at this stage. They’re not yet fluent, and vocabulary is still growing, but they’re actively engaging in communication.

The other descriptions describe abilities that belong to different stages or levels: the silent period (preproduction) where spoken output is minimal, or the level of fluent conversations and very large vocabularies that go beyond this stage.