The Theory Of Universal Grammar - 2132 Words

Hi Tom, there are many theories that try to explain that how children develop their language skills. From my perspective, I believe that early theories have provided a good understanding of children and their progress. In early theories, the environment was said to greatly influence a child’s learning and also played a major role in child language developments. According to Skinner, â€Å"children learn language based on behaviorist reinforcement principles by associating words with meanings. Correct utterances are positively reinforced when the child realizes the communicative value of words and phrases. For example, when the child says ‘milk’ and the mother will smile and give her some as a result, the child will find this outcome rewarding, enhancing the child s language development† (1). I think that early theories are a perfect way to explain how a child develops their language skills. However, Noam Chomsky has heavily criticized early child development theories. Chomsky has proposed that the theory of Universal Grammar can improve our understanding of childhood development. According to Chomsky, Universal Grammar is â€Å"an idea of innate, biological grammatical categories, such as a noun category and a verb category that facilitate the entire language development in children and overall language processing in adults. Universal Grammar is considered to contain all the grammatical information needed to combine these categories, e.g. noun and verb, into phrases. The child’sShow MoreRelatedThe s Theory Of Universal Grammar Essay873 Words   |  4 Pagesspoke a universal language following the great flood and this led to the construction of a tower to display the greatest of humanity. As a result, God confounded their speech so that they could no longer under stand each other and scattered them around the world. I do believe this story to be true. 2. What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis? The Sapir – Whorf hypothesis is whether or not the languages we speak shape the way we think. 3. Who is Noam Chomsky? What, briefly, is his theory of universal grammarRead MoreGrammar is divided in Two Sub-Categories: English Syntax and Morphology905 Words   |  4 PagesGrammar is traditionally divided into two sub-categories: morphology and syntax. Moprhology is the study of morphemes – smallest units of language that carry meaning – and how they are formed into words. Syntax is the study of the processes by which sentences are formed. Hereinafter, we shall take a look at the approach to grammar developed by Noam Chomsky. According to Chomsky, the goal of the linguist is to determine what it is that native speakers know about their native language which enablesRead MoreChomsky s Theory Of Human Language1362 Words   |  6 Pagesmake plans with each other. The faculty of language is arguably what makes human beings cognitively distinct from other creatures. Through narrowing the scope of human language, adopting a rationalistic influence, proposing his Cognitive Development Theory, and including essentialist aspects in his philosophy, Chomsky gives linguistics a respectable place in the greater sphere of epistemology. Noam Chomsky creates a narrow scope of linguistics, reducing the focus of its study. Chomsky believes studyingRead MoreLinguistic Nativism: There’s Something Between the Ears Language is something that humans use and1300 Words   |  6 Pagesworld in the human condition. But the question of how humans come from being silent babies to speaking children is still unanswered. Linguistic nativism is one theory that addresses the question. This paper is meant to present Nativism generally, and Linguistic Nativism specifically, and the address the arguments for and against the theory. Nativism is the view in philosophy that knowledge of some skills or information is innate and hence acquired, not learned. That is to say, nativists think thatRead MoreInnateness of Children’s Language Acquisition1371 Words   |  6 Pagesfundamental question in the study of linguistics and human development. From Bow-wow Theory to Yo-He-Ho Theory, major theories on the origins and learnability of language have emerged in mid-20th century and heavily debated ever since. Among them, the idea of universal grammar in which is usually credited to linguist Noam Chomsky, remains the most notable and controversial theory over time. He introduced and developed the theory from 1950s to 1970s, as he proposed and championed linguistic nativism in languageRead MoreUnderstanding Grammatical Language Skills : Universal Grammar1377 Words   |  6 PagesMargaret Benson LING 489 Short Paper 1 Universal Grammar For many years studies have been conducted to explore how humans develop grammatical language skills. Universal Grammar (UG) is a linguistic theory proposed by Noam Chomsky arguing that humans’ ability to learn grammar is prewired into the brain, claiming that no a priori knowledge or language contact is necessary for language organization (Chomsky 1967). Chomsky contends that humans posses ability unlike any other sentient beings to masterRead MoreEnglish Syntax- Summary676 Words   |  3 Pages To start with, grammar is usually divided into two inter-related areas of study – morphology and syntax. Morphology is concerned with how words are formed out of smaller units,which are called morphemes, and syntax is the study of how these words or phrases are combined into sentences. Nowadays, there are two different approaches of studying grammar: a cognitive and a taxonomic. The person who influenced the most a cognitive approach, and its development, was Noam Chomsky,Read MoreThe subtlety of language acquisition has been the most fundamental question in the study of1500 Words   |  6 Pageshas been the most fundamental question in the study of linguistics and human development. From Bow-wow Theory to Yo-He-Ho Theory, the major theories on language origins and learnability emerged at mid-20th century and has been heavily debated ever since. Among them, the idea of universal grammar in which is usually credited to linguist Noam Chomsky, remains the most notable and controversial theory over time. He introduced and developed the t heory from 1950s to 1970s as he proposed and championedRead MoreCritical Period Hypothesis859 Words   |  4 PagesHypothesis theory which contends that language is innate but has to be attained before the age of puberty o r else the ability to learn language ebbs (as a result of the lateralization of the brain). 1 At present, the Critical Period Hypothesis theory is widely accepted by numerous linguists. Evidence has been presented that there is a limited time when the brain is malleable (in terms of language). Studies such as, linguistically isolated children (a.k.a. feral children) support Lenneberg s theory of theRead MoreEnglish-based Pidgins and Creoles806 Words   |  3 Pagesover time an assortment of scholars has come forth to propose their different theories as to the accounts for the origins and development of English based creoles and pidgins. There has long been a dispute as to the extent these English based pidgins and creoles share a universal origin, with theories contrasting and overlapping. In this paper, explanations and evaluations will take place covering these different theories along with a short analysis throughout. In short, the term pidgin has been