regraregras

Regraregras is a term used in linguistics to describe a theoretical framework for examining how grammatical rules are learned, generalized, and sometimes regressed in individuals and communities. The concept centers on meta-rules—rules about rules—that govern how grammar is applied across different contexts, languages, and developmental stages. Proponents use regraregras to analyze phenomena such as overgeneralization of morphological patterns, fossilization of non-native forms, and the transfer of rules from one language to another.

Origin and usage: The coinage blends elements from Romance-language terms for rule (regla/regras) and from the root reg- of "to govern." It is used mainly in theoretical discussions and experimental studies exploring how learners acquire, adapt, or abandon grammatical regularities.

Methodological notes and applications: Researchers study regraregras with corpus analyses, psycholinguistic experiments that test rule application under varying contexts, and computational models that simulate rule propagation and erosion. Applications include second-language pedagogy, diagnostic assessment of learners' rule knowledge, and historical linguistics for tracing how grammatical systems shift when metarules change. Critics argue that the term lacks a precise, universally accepted definition and that its scope overlaps with established concepts in language acquisition, such as transfer, fossilization, and metarule theory; some scholars view it as a useful heuristic rather than a distinct theory.