California Teacher Credentialing Examination (CSET) Practice Test

Overregularizations occur when children apply regular grammatical rules to words that are exceptions to those rules. This process often involves changing irregular verbs or nouns to fit standard patterns. For example, a child might use "goed" instead of "went" or "mouses" instead of "mice." This phenomenon highlights how children learn language by identifying patterns and applying them, even when those patterns do not fit certain words.

The choice related to adding regular forms to irregular nouns accurately captures this developmental stage in language acquisition, showcasing children's growing understanding of grammatical structures. It reflects their ability to generalize rules they have learned, even if it leads to producing forms that are not conventionally correct. Understanding overregularizations is important for teachers as it provides insight into the cognitive processes involved in language learning and development.