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

Children's use of forms like "taked" or "badder" demonstrates their understanding and application of grammatical rules, such as regular past tense formation or comparative adjectives, even when these rules lead to incorrect forms. This suggests that children are actively constructing language rules rather than simply mimicking adult speech.

Why Is It So Interesting to Linguists That Children Say