Language development is a process starting early in human life. Infants start without
language, yet by 10 months, babies can distinguish speech sounds and engage in babbling. It is
thought to proceed by ordinary processes of learning in which children acquire the forms,
meanings and uses of words and utterances from the linguistic input. The method in which we
develop language skills is universal; however, the major debate is how the rules of syntax are
acquired. There are two major approaches to syntactic development, an empiricist account by
which children learn all syntactic rules from the linguistic input, and a nativist approach by
which some principles of syntax are innate and are transmitted through the human genome.
The nativist theory, proposed by Noam Chomsky, argues that language is a unique
human accomplishment. Chomsky says that all children have what is called an innate language
acquisition device (LAD). Theoretically, the LAD is an area of the brain that has a set of
universal syntactic rules for all languages. This device provides children with the ability to
construct novel sentences using learned vocabulary. Chomsky's claim is based upon the view
that what children hear—their linguistic input—is insufficient to explain how they come to learn
language. He argues that linguistic input from the environment is limited and full of errors.
Therefore, nativists assume that it is impossible for children to learn linguistic information solely
from their environment. However, because children possess this LAD, they are in fact, able to
learn language despite incomplete information from their environment. This view has dominated
linguistic theory for over fifty years and remains highly influential, as witnessed by the number
of articles in journals and books.
The empiricist theory suggests, that there is enough information in the linguistic input
children receive and therefore, there is no need to assume an innate language acquisition device
exists. Rather than a LAD evolved specifically for language, empiricists believe that general
brain processes are sufficient enough for language acquisition. During this process, it is
necessary for the child to actively engage with their environment. For a child to learn language,
the parent or caregiver adopts a particular way of appropriately communicating with the child;this is known as child-directed speech (CDS). CDS is used so that children are given the
necessary linguistic information needed for their language. Empiricism is a general approach and
sometimes goes along with the inter-actionist approach. Statistical language acquisition, which
falls under empiricist theory, suggests that infants acquire language by means of pattern
perception.
language, yet by 10 months, babies can distinguish speech sounds and engage in babbling. It is
thought to proceed by ordinary processes of learning in which children acquire the forms,
meanings and uses of words and utterances from the linguistic input. The method in which we
develop language skills is universal; however, the major debate is how the rules of syntax are
acquired. There are two major approaches to syntactic development, an empiricist account by
which children learn all syntactic rules from the linguistic input, and a nativist approach by
which some principles of syntax are innate and are transmitted through the human genome.
The nativist theory, proposed by Noam Chomsky, argues that language is a unique
human accomplishment. Chomsky says that all children have what is called an innate language
acquisition device (LAD). Theoretically, the LAD is an area of the brain that has a set of
universal syntactic rules for all languages. This device provides children with the ability to
construct novel sentences using learned vocabulary. Chomsky's claim is based upon the view
that what children hear—their linguistic input—is insufficient to explain how they come to learn
language. He argues that linguistic input from the environment is limited and full of errors.
Therefore, nativists assume that it is impossible for children to learn linguistic information solely
from their environment. However, because children possess this LAD, they are in fact, able to
learn language despite incomplete information from their environment. This view has dominated
linguistic theory for over fifty years and remains highly influential, as witnessed by the number
of articles in journals and books.
The empiricist theory suggests, that there is enough information in the linguistic input
children receive and therefore, there is no need to assume an innate language acquisition device
exists. Rather than a LAD evolved specifically for language, empiricists believe that general
brain processes are sufficient enough for language acquisition. During this process, it is
necessary for the child to actively engage with their environment. For a child to learn language,
the parent or caregiver adopts a particular way of appropriately communicating with the child;this is known as child-directed speech (CDS). CDS is used so that children are given the
necessary linguistic information needed for their language. Empiricism is a general approach and
sometimes goes along with the inter-actionist approach. Statistical language acquisition, which
falls under empiricist theory, suggests that infants acquire language by means of pattern
perception.
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