Final answer:
Overregularization indicates that a child can apply grammatical rules to vocalizations, reflecting their grasp of language generalizations despite not mastering exceptions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Overregularization in a child's speech patterns indicates that the child can apply grammatical rules to vocalizations. This linguistic phenomenon occurs when a child applies a general grammatical rule too broadly and does not use the correct irregular form. For instance, they may say 'gooses' instead of 'geese' or 'mouses' instead of 'mice', demonstrating an understanding of the general rule for forming plurals in English, but not yet mastering the exceptions to this rule.
Language development is a complex process that begins at an early age, and children rapidly acquire the rules of language without formal instruction. The fact that children overregularize points to their ability to form generalizations and apply rules, which are important cognitive steps in language acquisition and cognitive development.