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

Short Answer

Expert verified
The term is Overregularization.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding language acquisition

Language acquisition in children involves learning the rules of language, such as verb tenses. In English, one such rule involves adding 'ed' to convert present tense verbs to past tense. However, children as they learn can sometimes apply these rules where they don't apply, a phenomenon known as overgeneralization or overregularization.
02

Identifying the term

The term that describes the child's mistake is 'overregularization'. The child has over-regularized the rule of adding 'ed' to form past tenses, applying it even to irregular verbs which don't follow this rule.

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