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Dr. Hashim Noor

INNATISTSINNATISTS

Innatism / Nativism

“I have tried to suggest that the study of language may very well , as was “traditionally supposed ,provide a

remarkably favorable perspective for the study of human mental processes.”(Chomsky,1968)

Chomsky (1959) attacked on Skinner and behaviourist theories of L1

acquisition

First Language Acquisition(FLA) is complex system of rules.

Input

Language Acquisition Device(LAD) Universal Grammar (UG)

Output

Dr. Hashim Noor

INNATISTS

Language acquisition, according to INNATISTS is a complex system of rules which enable the child to:1. Understand

2. Create an infinite number of sentences

Dr. Hashim Noor

INNATISTS

Understanding takes place according to the following steps:

1. The child receives (hears) the language.

Dr. Hashim Noor

Understanding

2. His/her brain starts naturally working to discover or recognize the shape of the sounds of this language (what is it?)

3. The brain then analyses these sounds (to see how this language operates).

Dr. Hashim Noor

INNATISTSINNATISTS

The The creativitycreativity of the of the child can be noticed child can be noticed from from the childthe child’’s ability s ability to extract abstract to extract abstract knowledge of rules from knowledge of rules from concrete examplesconcrete examples..

Dr. Hashim Noor

creativitycreativity

For example, the child, from For example, the child, from the language he hears, may the language he hears, may generalizegeneralize the past the past ––eded sign sign for all verbs he uses without for all verbs he uses without thinking that there thinking that there are some are some exceptions.exceptions.

Human infant is born with an innate predisposition to acquire language.

Inn

aIn

na

tete

Hypothe

Hypothesissis

He/she must be exposed to language for the acquisition process to start.

He/she possesses an internal mechanism which enables

him/her, from the limited data available to him/her, to

construct a grammar of a particular language.

Dr. Hashim NoorDr. Hashim Noor

INNATISTSINNATISTS

This led many people to believe This led many people to believe thatthat children are born with an children are born with an innate capacity forinnate capacity for acquiringacquiring andand developingdeveloping the languagethe language..


INNATISTSINNATISTS

The brain of the child is ready for The brain of the child is ready for the language.the language.

When the child is exposed to When the child is exposed to

speech,speech, certain general principles certain general principles for discovering or structuring for discovering or structuring languagelanguage automatically begin to automatically begin to operate.operate.


INNATISTSINNATISTS

These principles constitute These principles constitute a childa child’’s s Language Acquisition Language Acquisition

DeviceDevice LADLAD..


INNATISTSINNATISTS

How LAD works?How LAD works? 1.1. The child uses its LAD The child uses its LAD

to make sense of the to make sense of the utterances utterances (the primary (the primary linguistic data) linguistic data) heard heard around him.around him.

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How LAD works?

2. Deriving from these utterances (the primary linguistic data) hypotheses about the grammar of the language.

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3.3. This knowledge is then This knowledge is then used to used to produce produce sentencessentences. These . These sentences go through sentences go through many stages until they many stages until they correspond those in adult correspond those in adult speech.speech.

How LAD worksHow LAD works??

Dr. Hashim Noor

LADLAD works when works when stimulated at the right stimulated at the right time (the time which time (the time which starts from the day of starts from the day of birth till puberty). This birth till puberty). This period is called period is called the the critical period.critical period.

When LAD worksWhen LAD works??

Dr. Hashim Noor

LAD UG LAD is commonly known

now as UG (Universal Grammar).

INNATISTS

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UG consists of principles which are common to all languages.

INNATISTS


Children have Children have to learn the ways to learn the ways by which their own language by which their own language makes use of these principlesmakes use of these principles and the variations on these and the variations on these principles which may exist in principles which may exist in particular language they are particular language they are learning.learning.

UGUG


Questions to be answeredQuestions to be answered……

1-1- How are the children able to How are the children able to acquire the language in such a acquire the language in such a short period of time?short period of time?


Questions to be answered…

2- How to explain children’s similarity in the way they acquire grammatical patterns in different languages?


Questions to be answered…

3- How children are able to extract abstract knowledge of rules from the primary linguistic data (the adult speech) although this speech is too complex and disorganized?

Dr. Hashim Noor

Technology

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