How is the Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) typically evaluated?

The Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) is evaluated by measuring the average number of morphemes in a child’s speech. This assessment is crucial in understanding the complexity of a child's language use, as morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a language. They can be whole words, prefixes, or suffixes. By analyzing a sample of the child's speech and counting the total number of morphemes, researchers can determine the MLU, which provides insights into the child's language development and grammatical skills. A higher MLU typically indicates more advanced language abilities, as it reflects a greater use of complex sentence structures and language variety.