The low frequency of use of many of the irregular verbs in English and their restriction to activities mostly not talked about at home ensures, as Pinker correctly points out, that they are not part of the "unbroken line of continuous speech" that you write about. My ancestors trace back through the paternal line to English speakers for as far back in history as you can go and still find speakers of English. And the last few generations of my family have included college-educated English majors who were very fussy about proper rules of English grammar. But none of that passed on to me in living speech the "correct" (irregular, or "strong") forms of some of the irregular verbs in English. The attested historical process, as Pinker correctly writes, is that the category of "strong" verbs in English and in other Germanic languages has shrunk over time.

For onlookers, I should list here the English irregular verbs. All of you will see for yourselves how rarely used some of them are, and how unlikely it is that a child would learn them from home conversation. Others, of course, the ones we all know, are the ones Pinker thinks will last indefinitely. The ones with alternate forms shown are likely to become regular sooner, I think.

Abide Abode/Abided Abode/Abided/Abidden Abides Abiding

Alight Alit/Alighted Alit/Alighted Alights Alighting

Arise Arose Arisen Arises Arising

Awake Awoke Awoken Awakes Awaking

Be Was/Were Been Is Being

Bear Bore Born/Borne Bears Bearing

Beat Beat Beaten Beats Beating

Become Became Become Becomes Becoming

Begin Began Begun Begins Beginning

Behold Beheld Beheld Beholds Beholding

Bend Bent Bent Bends Bending

Bet Bet Bet Bets Betting

Bid Bade Bidden Bids Bidding

Bid Bid Bid Bids Bidding

Bind Bound Bound Binds Binding

Bite Bit Bitten Bites Biting

Bleed Bled Bled Bleeds Bleeding

Blow Blew Blown Blows Blowing

Break Broke Broken Breaks Breaking

Breed Bred Bred Breeds Breeding

Bring Brought Brought Brings Bringing

Build Built Built Builds Building

Burn Burnt/Burned Burnt/Burned Burns Burning

Burst Burst Burst Bursts Bursting

Bust Bust Bust Busts Busting

Buy Bought Bought Buys Buying

Cast Cast Cast Casts Casting

Catch Caught Caught Catches Catching

Choose Chose Chosen Chooses Choosing

Clap Clapped/Clapt Clapped/Clapt Claps Clapping

Cling Clung Clung Clings Clinging

Clothe Clad/Clothed Clad/Clothed Clothes Clothing

Come Came Come Comes Coming

Cost Cost Cost Costs Costing

Creep Crept Crept Creeps Creeping

Cut Cut Cut Cuts Cutting

Dare Dared/Durst Dared Dares Daring

Deal Dealt Dealt Deals Dealing

Dig Dug Dug Digs Digging

Dive Dived/Dove Dived Dives Diving

Do Did Done Does Doing

Draw Drew Drawn Draws Drawing

Dream Dreamt/Dreamed Dreamt/Dreamed Dreams Dreaming

Drink Drank Drunk Drinks Drinking

Drive Drove Driven Drives Driving

Dwell Dwelt Dwelt Dwells Dwelling

Eat Ate Eaten Eats Eating

[edit: the full list is just too darn long, but you'll get the idea from the beginning and end of the alphabet]

Make Made Made Makes Making

Mean Meant Meant Means Meaning

Meet Met Met Meets Meeting

Melt Melted Molten/Melted Melts Melting

Mislead Misled Misled Misleads Misleading

Mistake Mistook Mistaken Mistakes Mistaking

Mow Mowed Mown Mows Mowing

Pay Paid Paid Pays Paying

Preset Preset Preset Presets Presetting

Prove Proved Proven/Proved Proves Proving

Put Put Put Puts Putting

Quit Quit Quit Quits Quitting

Read Read Read Reads Reading

Rid Rid/Ridded Rid/Ridded Rids Ridding

Ride Rode Ridden Rides Riding

Ring Rang Rung Rings Ringing

Rise Rose Risen Rises Rising

Rive Rived Riven/Rived Rives Riving

Run Ran Run Runs Running

Saw Sawed Sawn/Sawed Saws Sawing

Say Said Said Says Saying

See Saw Seen Sees Seeing

Seek Sought Sought Seeks Seeking

Sell Sold Sold Sells Selling

Send Sent Sent Sends Sending

Set Set Set Sets Setting

Sew Sewed Sewn/Sewed Sews Sewing

Shake Shook Shaken Shakes Shaking

Shave Shaved Shaven/Shaved Shaves Shaving

Shear Shore/Sheared Shorn/Sheared Shears Shearing

Shed Shed Shed Sheds Shedding

Shine Shone Shone Shines Shining

Shoe Shod Shod Shoes Shoeing

Shoot Shot Shot Shoots Shooting

Show Showed Shown Shows Showing

Shrink Shrank Shrunk Shrinks Shrinking

Shut Shut Shut Shuts Shutting

Sing Sang Sung Sings Singing

Sink Sank Sunk Sinks Sinking

Sit Sat Sat Sits Sitting

Slay Slew Slain Slays Slaying

Sleep Slept Slept Sleeps Sleeping

Slide Slid Slid/Slidden Slides Sliding

Sling Slung Slung Slings Slinging

Slink Slunk Slunk Slinks Slinking

Slit Slit Slit Slits Slitting

Smell Smelt/Smelled Smelt/Smelled Smells Smelling

Sneak Sneaked/Snuck Sneaked/Snuck Sneaks Sneaking

Sow Sowed Sown Sows Sowing

Speak Spoke Spoken Speaks Speaking

Speed Sped/Speeded Sped/Speeded Speeds Speeding

Spell Spelt/Spelled Spelt/Spelled Spells Spelling

Spend Spent Spent Spends Spending

Spill Spilt/Spilled Spilt/Spilled Spills Spilling

Spin Span/Spun Spun Spins Spinning

Spit Spat/Spit Spat/Spit Spits Spitting

Split Split Split Splits Splitting

Spoil Spoilt/Spoiled Spoilt/Spoiled Spoils Spoiling

Spread Spread Spread Spreads Spreading

Spring Sprang Sprung Springs Springing

Stand Stood Stood Stands Standing

Steal Stole Stolen Steals Stealing

Stick Stuck Stuck Sticks Sticking

Sting Stung Stung Stings Stinging

Stink Stank Stunk Stinks Stinking

Stride Strode/Strided Stridden Strides Striding

Strike Struck Struck/Stricken Strikes Striking

String Strung Strung Strings Stringing

Strip Stript/Stripped Stript/Stripped Strips Stripping

Strive Strove Striven Strives Striving

Swear Swore Sworn Swears Swearing

Sweat Sweat/Sweated Sweat/Sweated Sweats Sweating

Sweep Swept/Sweeped Swept/Sweeped Sweeps Sweeping

Swell Swelled Swollen Swells Swelling

Swim Swam Swum Swims Swimming

Swing Swung Swung Swings Swinging

Take Took Taken Takes Taking

Teach Taught Taught Teaches Teaching

Tear Tore Torn Tears Tearing

Tell Told Told Tells Telling

Think Thought Thought Thinks Thinking

Thrive Throve/Thrived Thriven/Thrived Thrives Thriving

Throw Threw Thrown Throws Throwing

Thrust Thrust Thrust Thrusts Thrusting

Tread Trod Trodden Treads Treading

Vex Vext/Vexed Vext/Vexed Vexes Vexing

Wake Woke Woken Wakes Waking

Wear Wore Worn Wears Wearing

Weave Wove Woven Weaves Weaving

Wed Wed/Wedded Wed/Wedded Weds Wedding

Weep Wept Wept Weeps Weeping

Wend Wended/Went Wended/Went Wends Wending

Wet Wet/Wetted Wet/Wetted Wets Wetting

Win Won Won Wins Winning

Wind Wound Wound Winds Winding

Wring Wrung Wrung Wrings Wringing

Write Wrote Written Writes Writing