Learning a language is a complicated process.
And I’m not talking only about learning a foreign language.
I’m talking about the process of learning any language at all. Including your native tongue.
Take little Michael, a preschooler who has been napping on the couch.
That is, until a moment ago, when he rolled over, tumbled off the side of the couch and landed on the floor.
“What happened, Michael?” his mother asks, running into the room after hearing the thud.
“I fell!” Michael wails.
Mom’s best friend Lisa, who has come over for coffee or advice or a cup of sugar, is mightily impressed.
“That Michael is one smart kid,” says Lisa.
She goes on to say that most small children would say, “I falled,” rather than “I fell.”
As it turns out, Lisa is about half correct. Most small children at a certain point of development would say, “I falled.” But Michael isn’t at that point yet.
Nevertheless, Michael’s mom smiles in that slight, controlled way adults often arrange their mouths when trying to exhibit pride and humility at the same time.
So imagine her concern a few months later, when little Michael found yet another opportunity to take a tumble and tell his mom about it.
Similar scenario. Except this time, Michael is chasing his puppy around the house in untied shoes, he steps on the lace of one shoe with the other foot, and hits the deck.
Once again, Mom rushes in to ask what happened.
Michael looks up at her and cries, “I falled!”
No proud but humble smiles this go around. In fact, Mom becomes concerned that her son’s language development is beginning to go in reverse.
Should she be worried? Not at all.
Because, strangely enough, moving from “I fell” to “I falled” actually indicates that Michael is progressing toward a more mature understanding of language.
According to some language experts, when little Michael first says “I fell,” or “I ate,” or talks about any past action, he is merely mimicking what he has heard others say in similar situations.
He isn’t old enough, yet, to know much about verb tenses.
But as he gets a little older, his brain starts noticing not only words, but also the rules for using those words. And sometimes, at first, those rules get applied a little too vigorously.
That’s when “fall” becomes “falled.” “Ate” becomes “eated.” “Ran” becomes “runned.”
And some parents panic.
But in time, their little one goes back to “fell,” “ate,” and “ran.”
But this time, not just to mirror what the adults say. This time, the child understands the rules better.
Rules about regular and irregular verbs.
It’s strange to realize that moving from a correct usage to an incorrect one is actually a sign of progress.
But sometimes there’s something to be said for doing the right thing for the right reason.
Dr. Julia Cochran is a licensed professional counselor in Rincon and a psychology instructor at Armstrong State University. She can be reached at 912-772-3072 or by email at JCochranPhD@GileadCounseling.com. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Armstrong State University.