Question

A child knows that adding -ed to certain words puts them in the past tense. As a result, instead of saying "He came," the child says "He comed." This is an example of ______.

Short answer

'He comed' is an example of overgeneralization in language acquisition.

Step-by-step solution

Understand concept of Overgeneralization

Overgeneralization in linguistics refers to the process by which children learn language rules and apply them too broadly, beyond the exceptions to the rule. It's a common stage in language acquisition as children develop their understanding of grammar.

Discuss the Example 'He comed'

In this case, the child has learned the general rule that adding -ed to an English verb puts it in the past tense. The child, not knowing that 'came' is the past tense of 'come', applies the rule and says 'He comed'. This exemplifies overgeneralization as the child has applied the rule to an exception word.

Conclusion

Therefore, 'He comed' is an example of overgeneralization in language development where children incorrectly apply grammatical rules to words that are of exception to these rules.

Key concepts

Language Acquisition

Language acquisition is the process through which children learn to understand and speak their first language. It naturally occurs as they grow up and engage with people who speak around them. Children absorb language from their surroundings, picking up words, sounds, and sentences by listening and mimicking.
They sometimes do not require explicit instruction; rather, they learn through exposure and interaction. As children grow, they pass through various stages of language acquisition, beginning with cooing and babbling, and moving to more complex sentence structures.

• Exposure is key: Children learn from what they hear around them.
• Imitation: Much of early language is based on copying sounds and words.
• Practice over time: Language develops gradually as children's cognitive abilities grow.

Overgeneralization, as explained in the exercise, is part of this natural language acquisition process. Through making mistakes, like saying "comed" instead of "came," children refine their understanding of language rules.

Child Language Development

Child language development involves the stages children go through as they learn to communicate. Initially, children start by discovering sounds and eventually recognizing and producing words. The development is rapid in early years as they form basic sentences.
By around age two, children begin using basic grammar, such as adding -ed for past tense verbs, even if they sometimes apply these rules incorrectly.

• Year 1: Recognizing and producing sounds - Babbling begins.
• Year 2: Emerging vocabulary - Simple words are used.
• Year 3: Forming sentences - Grammatical rules begin to appear.

During these stages, children often make errors like overgeneralization, but these are essential for learning. By practicing and being corrected, children adjust their speech over time, refining their grammar and vocabulary.

Grammatical Rules

Grammatical rules are guidelines for how words are combined to form sentences. These rules help ensure communication is clear and understood by others. Rules cover various aspects of language, such as sentence structure, verb conjugation, and agreement between subjects and verbs.
Learning grammatical rules is a crucial part of language acquisition, and children begin to understand them by interacting with speakers and experimenting with language use.

• Verb Conjugation: Changing verbs for tense and agreement.
• Sentence Structure: Order of words to convey clear messages.
• Exceptions: Understanding that some words don't follow standard rules.

Overgeneralization occurs when children apply rules too broadly, as evidenced by the "He comed" example. Through repeated exposure and with guidance from adults, children learn which exceptions apply and adjust their understanding of grammatical rules, leading to improved language skills.