FTCE Professional Education Practice Exam

What does 'overgeneralization' entail in language use?

1. Incorrectly extending a grammatical rule

2. Failing to apply a grammatical rule

3. Learning a new vocabulary word

4. Using variation in speech sounds

The correct answer is: Incorrectly extending a grammatical rule

Overgeneralization in language use refers to the phenomenon where a speaker incorrectly applies a grammatical rule to situations that are exceptions to that rule. This typically occurs in the early stages of language development, particularly among children learning their native language. For example, a child who has learned that adding "-ed" to verbs indicates the past tense might incorrectly say "goed" instead of "went." This incorrect application shows the child's understanding of the general rule but their failure to recognize the irregularities in the language. The other options do not accurately encapsulate the concept of overgeneralization. Failing to apply a grammatical rule suggests a lack of understanding rather than misapplication of knowledge. Learning a new vocabulary word pertains to lexical acquisition rather than grammatical rules. Using variation in speech sounds relates more to phonetics and accents than to grammatical structure, which is the focal point of overgeneralization. By correctly identifying overgeneralization, one acknowledges the creative yet flawed application of learned language rules.