Bøyningstilnærming

Bøyningstilnærming, often translated as inflectional approach or bending approach, refers to a concept in linguistics and language acquisition that describes how learners adapt or "bend" existing linguistic rules and patterns to accommodate new or unfamiliar structures. This process is particularly evident when learners encounter grammatical phenomena that differ from their native language or from the established rules they have already mastered. Instead of completely discarding old rules, learners might extend their application, modify them slightly, or blend them with new information.

This phenomenon can be observed in various aspects of language, including morphology and syntax. For instance, a child learning English might overgeneralize the regular past tense '-ed' ending to irregular verbs, saying "goed" instead of "went." This demonstrates a bøyningstilnærming where the learner applies a known rule to a new context. Similarly, second language learners might use sentence structures from their first language when constructing sentences in the target language, adapting or "bending" the target language's syntax to fit their existing linguistic framework.

The bøyningstilnærming highlights the active and constructive nature of language learning. It suggests that learners do not passively absorb new linguistic information but rather actively process it by relating it to their existing knowledge base. This approach underscores the role of analogy and generalization in language acquisition, where learners make connections and infer patterns based on what they already know. Understanding this approach can provide valuable insights for language teaching and curriculum development, allowing educators to better anticipate and address common learner errors.