PLEASE READ THE WHOLE THING AND ANSWER IN DETAILS For this discussion, try to de

Question

PLEASE READ THE WHOLE THING AND ANSWER IN DETAILS For this discussion, try to defend a view of language as primarily learned or primarily innate. Be careful to base your discussion on studies you've found through PsychINFO and ideas from the text. As you discuss this issue, be sure to include responses to these questions.

Do you view language as primarily learned or primarily innate? Why?

What brain structures we’ve studied seem to support Chomsky’s view that we have an inborn universal grammar that will unfold if we are exposed to language?

How might Chomsky explain a perfectly normal two-year old who used to say “I brushed my teeth” but suddenly starts saying “I brushed my tooths?”

Explanation / Answer

Humans may be born with a pre-disposition for language, however there has to be some social interaction that defines the language, grammar and speech.We teach our children language by using a variety of methods, such as visual aids and verbal reinforcements. If we only show them the visual aids, without explaining what they are seeing, they will ultimately create their own description and possibly create their own language. I believe that the two theories go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other. We may be born with some amount of innate ability, but it is through repetition and reinforcement that we are able to communicate effectively. The necessary grammar and syntax ability requires practice and this can only be achieved with being taught.

The perisylvian region including Broca’s area, Wernicke’s area and the angular gyrus appear to be specialized for language processing has led some researchersto speculate that they may constitute the neural substrate for universal grammer.While the neurological evidence does suggest that certain areas of the brain are particularly well-suited for language processing, there is no evidence that these regions actually contain a genetically specified preprint blueprint for grammar.

Chomsky believes that every child has a ‘language acquisition device’ or LAD which encodes the major principles of a language and its grammatical structures into the child’s brain. Children have then only to learn new vocabulary and apply the syntactic structures from the LAD to form sentences.

Chomsky points out that a child could not possibly learn a language through imitation alone because the language spoken around them is highly irregular –adult’s speech is often broken up and even sometimes ungrammatical. Chomsky’s theory applies to all languages as they all contain nouns, verbs, consonants and vowels and children appear to be ‘hard-wired’ to acquire the grammar.

Children learning to speak never make grammatical errors such as getting their subjects, verbs and objects in the wrong order.A child often say things that are ungrammatical such as ‘I brush my tooths’, which they cannot have learnt passively. These things are not learned through imitation alone.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse P
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.