Why do languages break their rules so much? (e.g. irregular verbs)

Question

Why do languages break their rules so much? (e.g. irregular verbs)

In: 10

Answer 1

Two main reasons:

1) they are borrowing from languages with different ‘rules’ and are inconsistent from the get-go

2) all languages change through usage. Frequently used words have the most opportunities for change. So the most irregular verbs cross-linguistically tend to be verbs like “to do,” “to be,” etc. which are used constantly by just about everyone. Each time they are spoken, little opportunities for change arise which accumulate and spread over time! On the other hand, verbs which are very rarely used have little opportunity for changes to occur and spread, so they tend to remain much more consistent.

There are other reasons but these are two big ones!