Chomskyan Theory and LAD

7/23/2019 Chomskyan Theory and LAD

1/13

CHOMSKYAN THEORRY

OF LANGUAGELEARNING.


2/13

UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR


3/13

UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR

The idea of universal grammar is put forward byNoam Chomsky.

From 196019!0" #$ be%ame a flashpoint fordis%iplines su%h as psy%hology and first language

a%&uisition. 'atin was represented as the universal

infrastru%ture of all languages.

(%%ording to )oger *a%on" a spe%ulativegrammarian" grammar was one and same in allsub+e%ts in its substan%e" and the surfa%edifferen%es between them are merely a%%identalvariations.


4/13

#niversal $rammar is the grammati%al propertiesshared by all human languages.

(ll languages share some %ommon features. ,g- (ll languages ehibit duality / arbitrariness

(ll have grammar and meaning.

(ll languages are %omposed of soundsprodu%ed by human vo%al organs.

#$ is the %entral hypothesis for the understandingof language stru%ture and the ability of human

being to a%&uire or internalie su%h a %omple andri%h system of rule.


5/13

(%%ording to Chomsky " the important parts ofthe stru%ture of human languages are built into

our brains at birth. Certain fundamental prin%iples for %onstru%ting

senten%es %an be found in all languages.

They must be the part of geneti% endowment"

i.e. present from birth. These prin%iples are %olle%tively %alled

#niversal $rammar.

The term #niversal2 means that the

phonologi%al" synta%ti% and semanti% units arepresent in all languages.


6/13

They %an be defined independent of theiro%%urren%e in any parti%ular language and they

%an be identified when they do o%%ur in aparti%ular language.

The phonologi%al" synta%ti% and semanti%elements are %alled as Substantive Universals

of linguisti% theory. Formal Universals are the general prin%iples

that determine the form of the rules and mannerof their operation in grammars of parti%ular

languages. Formal Universals are more abstra%t than

Substantive Universals.


7/13

#$ is inbuilt in the brain" it is only partially wired

up and that is why languages are so different from

one another.Children are born with an inbuilt knowledge of

basi% linguisti% prin%iples but these need

supplementing.

The inherited framework must be ba%ked up with3arameters2 that have to be fied by eperien%e.

( parameter is an essential property with inbuilt

variation.

,g- Temperature is a parameter of the

atmosphere. Temperature must always eist but is

set ea%h day at different levels.


8/13

THE LANGUAGE

ACQUISITION

DEVICE


9/13

3ut forward by Noam Chomsky.

(gree with the idea of #niversal $rammar.

4ain idea is that there is a devi%e in human brainto a%&uire a language.

5n prin%iple it may be possible to study the

problem of determining what the builtin stru%ture

of an information pro%essing system must be to

enable it to arrive at the grammar of a language

from the available data in the available time.

uppose we see barley and empty bottles going in

one door of a speyside distillery" we will get

%ot%h 7hisky as a produ%t. 5t means something

happened inside.


10/13

uppose we see barley and empty bottles going in

one door of a speyside distillery" we will get

%ot%h 7hisky as a produ%t. 5t means somethinghappened inside

imilarly %hildren hear a number of senten%es said

by their parents and %aretakers .They %an be %alled

as 3rimary 'inguisti% 8ata.These data pro%ess within their bla%k bo i.e.

'(8.

Finally they a%&uire linguisti% %ompeten%e in the

language a $enerative $rammar2" in theirminds.


11/13

5N3#T:3rimary

'inguisti% data;

'anguage(%&uisition 8evi%e


12/13

The '(82 is a pro%edure that operates on

eperien%e a%&uired in an ideal %ommunity and

%onstru%ts from it" in a determinate way" a stateof the language fa%ulty.

The '(8 has to be %apablee of operating for

any %hild anywhre= it wast ta%kle the

a%&uisition of Chinese as readily as the

a%&uisition of Fren%h.

5t was not how %hildren behaved mattered" it

was not even whhatt theyy a%tually said=it waswhatt they knew.


13/13

5n the language a%&uisition pro%ess Children

narrow down the infinite possibilities of

language to the one that they a%tually learn via

#$.

5n short" %hildren learn language speedily"

easily and uniformly" be%ause #$ narrowdowns the %hoi%e open to them.

Documents

Chomskyan Theory and LAD