In this article, we will Discuss Critically the Innateness Theory of Language Acquisition.
What is the Innatism Theory of Language Acquisition?
In 1957, Noam Chomsky criticized the behaviourist theory, focusing on the limited language input children receive. He argued that children have an innate ability to learn language, discovering grammar based on their own inborn knowledge. Chomsky suggested that certain aspects of language structure are preordained by the human mind’s cognitive structure, leading to universal language features like nouns, verbs, consonants, and vowels.
Despite the complexity of language, children master their native language quickly and naturally within 5 or 6 years, regardless of their intelligence level. Chomsky proposed that language acquisition goes beyond mere imitation and is not dependent on general intelligence. Instead, he suggested that children have an inborn language acquisition faculty, known as the Language Acquisition Device (LAD).
Chomsky’s theory posits that the human brain contains linguistic information at birth, and exposure to speech triggers the child’s innate ability to interpret and learn language. He emphasized that all human languages share common principles, and it’s the child’s task to understand how their specific language expresses these principles.
The LAD enables the child to process linguistic data and infer language rules unconsciously. Chomsky’s theory has sparked debate and undergone modifications, with some suggesting that the LAD functions more as a mechanism for deriving language rules from input data rather than containing specific linguistic knowledge.
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