Question

Recall that children often overgeneralize grammatical rules at one language milestone. Describe how the behaviorist, nativist, and interactionist views would discuss this occurrence.

Answer 1

Overgeneralization of grammatical rules happen in children especially during the early stages of language acquisition. For example, adding '-ed' would normally make the past tense of verbs (like - liked). But there certain exceptions to this role like think-thought, eat- ate etc. Children will overgeneralize the rule and may say think- thinked, eat-eated etc. This can be explained from three different perspectives.

Behaviourism View

Conditioning refers to simple habituation. When children learn this rule of adding -ed to the end of every word, they get conditioned to use for every word. As the number of words with past tense end with 'ed' it is natural for the children to overgeneralize this rule.

Nativist View

Nativist theory explains every child has a Language Acquisition Device (LAD). Language acquisition occurs when the child is developmentally ready to acquire it. In the initial stages, the language acquisition of a child follows a simple rule. Over generalisation happens because the child is not yet ready to comprehend the complex rule of grammars in language.

Interactionist View

This view explains that language acquisition happens through social learning process. The children indulge in conversation with the adults and learn the rule of language through them. When they hear the adults use -ed- at the end of every verb to make it in past tense. They basically mimic what adults talk to them. Overgeneralisation of grammar rules happen as a results of this.