When children can figure out that the plural of nonsense words like "seg" is "segs" it suggests that they
A) impose their own meaning on nonsense words.
B) ignore rules of syntax and grammar.
C) understand basic rules of semantics.
D) understand basic rules of syntax.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fact that the children are able to form the plural of the nonsense word "seg" suggests that they have an understanding of the basic rules of syntax, which dictate how to create plural forms in English. This implies that they have a basic understanding of the grammatical structure of the language. The choice of "impose their own meaning" (A) is not supported by the given information, as there is no indication that the children are assigning any meaning to the word "seg." Choice (B) is also unlikely, as the formation of the plural "segs" suggests that the children are following grammatical rules rather than ignoring them. Choice (C) could be a plausible option, since the children are showing an understanding of how word forms relate to one another, but the given information is more specific to syntax than semantics.

When Children Can Figure Out That the Plural of Nonsense