Question

In his theory of language acquisition, Chomsky argues that language acquisition is an innate ability tied to the structure of the brain. True or false?

Short answer

True

Step-by-step solution

Understanding Chomsky's theory

Noam Chomsky, in his theory of language acquisition, indeed argued that language acquisition is an innate ability tied to the structure of the human brain. This perspective is part of what is known as Chomsky's 'nativist' theory of language acquisition, which suggests that humans are born with an inherent ability to learn language.

Key concepts

Nativist Theory

The nativist theory, proposed by Noam Chomsky, posits that language acquisition is a biologically-based, innate ability, rather than something learned solely through exposure or environment. Chomsky introduced the concept of the 'Language Acquisition Device' (LAD), an inherent mental faculty which enables children to rapidly understand the rules of their native language with limited input.

According to this theory, the capacity for language is hardwired into our brains from birth, and our surroundings merely trigger a blueprint that is pre-programmed within us. This stands in contrast to the behaviorist theory, which suggests that language is learned through reinforcement, imitation, and habituation. One of the key implications of the nativist theory is that it accounts for the speed and uniformity at which children across various cultures learn language, despite the complexity of grammatical rules and structures.

Innate Language Ability

The concept of 'innate language ability' is central to Chomsky's theory—it is the idea that every human is born with a predisposition to learn language. This innate ability is said to be species-specific, not found in other creatures to the same complexity, and is uniform across communities regardless of the huge variety of languages.

Chomsky's Universal Grammar hypothesizes that underlying structural principles common to all languages are known to all humans and that these principles guide the development of language in children. The 'poverty of the stimulus' argument supports this theory, noting that children often learn their native language proficiently without sufficient comprehensive input, which indicates that some knowledge of language must be innate.

Brain Structure and Language

Chomsky's theory also connects language acquisition with specific brain structures. Neurolinguistics, the study of how language is represented in the brain, has identified areas such as Broca's area and Wernicke's area, which are crucial for language production and comprehension.

Studies show that damage to these areas can affect language abilities, which supports the idea that certain parts of the brain are specialized for language functions. This specialization suggests that the brain has evolved structures specifically for language, which aligns with the nativist perspective that language learning capacities are inborn and not simply a result of learning or mimicry.

Language Acquisition

Language acquisition is a complex process where individuals learn to understand, communicate, and produce language, typically beginning in early childhood. According to Chomsky, this process is facilitated by innate mechanisms, while the environment plays a role in activating the language faculties.

Children go through various stages such as babbling, single-word utterances, and telegraphic speech (short, simple combinations of words) before mastering the complex structures of their language. The critical period hypothesis suggests that there is a certain window during childhood in which language acquisition occurs most easily, further indicating that biological factors play a significant role in this process.