Why is it so interesting to linguists that children say things like "taked" instead of "took" or "badder" instead of "worse"?
A) because children only make these mistakes early in their language acquisition period
B) because children are explicitly taught the rules of universal grammar
C) because children persist in making these grammatically logical mistakes even after being corrected
D) because it is evidence of the influence of direct instruction on speaking by caregivers

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Linguists are interested in these types of errors because they provide evidence of children's understanding of the grammatical rules of language, even if they are not applying them correctly. It also shows that children continue to make these errors even after being corrected, indicating that it may be a natural part of language acquisition rather than the result of direct instruction by caregivers.

Why Is It So Interesting to Linguists That Children Say