Which term describes developmental mistakes where a learner over-applies a rule (e.g., saying 'speaked')?

Which term describes developmental mistakes where a learner over-applies a rule (e.g., saying 'speaked')?

• A. Overgeneralizing
• B. Transfer Errors
• C. Systematic Errors
• D. Cloze

Answer: (A)

Overgeneralization is when a learner applies a grammar rule too broadly. In English, the regular past tense rule is to add -ed. A learner who says “speaked” is applying that rule to the verb “speak,” whose correct past tense is “spoke” and past participle “spoken.” This shows the learner is internalizing how to form past tense and is testing the rule across verbs, a normal part of language development as they build productive forms. It’s different from transfer errors, which come from influence of another language’s patterns, and from cloze tasks, which are a type of exercise, not an error type. While some analyses use a broader term like systematic errors for patterned mistakes, the common label for applying a rule to cases where it doesn’t fit is overgeneralization.

Overgeneralization is when a learner applies a grammar rule too broadly. In English, the regular past tense rule is to add -ed. A learner who says “speaked” is applying that rule to the verb “speak,” whose correct past tense is “spoke” and past participle “spoken.” This shows the learner is internalizing how to form past tense and is testing the rule across verbs, a normal part of language development as they build productive forms. It’s different from transfer errors, which come from influence of another language’s patterns, and from cloze tasks, which are a type of exercise, not an error type. While some analyses use a broader term like systematic errors for patterned mistakes, the common label for applying a rule to cases where it doesn’t fit is overgeneralization.