alleryA child who said "gave" now says "gived". The child is:
ACopying an adult's error
BHaving a problem with hearing
CBuilding a rule of its own
DFailing to hear the word
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Building a rule of its own
1. Children often use an irregular form correctly, then make errors, then return to the proper form.
2. No adult says "gived", so the child is not imitating anyone.
3. The child has made a rule for the past tense and applied it too widely.
4. Chomsky used this pattern to argue against explaining language by conditioning alone.
**Why not the others:** Adults do not say "gived", so it is not copying. The child is still listening and hearing, but is building rules.
_Source: Wikipedia, "Language acquisition", section "History" (revision 1375526787)_
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