Abstract

Language is rule-governed. Language is flexible, creative and bursts with odd patterns which then demonstrate a hidden regularity when examined further—or not. Which is it? I argue: Both, and everything in between. I review examples from multiple domains of language, such as orthography, morphology, semantics and syntax, where aspects of language span the spectrum from rule-governed to exception. This is used to motivate the quasiregularity manifesto: Traditional linguistic categories and generalizations are descriptively useful but do not exist in one-to-one correspondence with a discrete brain or cognitive entity. Connectionist and neural-networks models can implement quasiregular systems in ways that illuminate what is easy and difficult for human language users and learners. Can we predict where and how much quasiregularity will be exhibited in a specific language or aspect of language? I propose that how the continuum of regularity is colonized depends on whether communicative pressures prioritize efficiency of message transmission or flexibility of interpretation.