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Universal Grammar
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Argument from the Diversity of Languages
UG provides a framework to understand how diverse languages can be acquired using the same innate cognitive structure. Example: Despite the vast differences between Mandarin and Swahili, speakers of each can learn the other’s language, implying a shared underlying capacity.
The Status of Grammar in UG
In UG, grammar is seen not as a set of prescriptive rules but as an innate and descriptive system. Example: The understanding that sentences like 'Colorless green ideas sleep furiously' are grammatically correct but semantically nonsensical.
Universal Grammar Definition
Universal Grammar (UG) is a theory in linguistics, proposing that the ability to learn grammar is hard-wired into the brain. Example: Noam Chomsky's hypothesis that children innately possess a grammatical framework upon which all human language builds.
Language Acquisition Device (LAD)
The Language Acquisition Device is a hypothetical module of the human mind posited to facilitate language acquisition. Example: The ease with which children pick up languages as compared to adults, which is attributed to the LAD function.
Origins of UG Theory
UG theory originated as part of Noam Chomsky's generative grammar framework, which aimed to describe the cognitive structures underlying language use. Example: Chomsky's theory differed from behaviorist theories that emphasized learning from the environment.
Genetic Basis of UG
UG might have a genetic basis, as the ability to learn language is consistently present across all human cultures. Example: Studies on twins suggest a heritable component to language acquisition and the mechanisms associated with UG.
Parameters and Principles
Universal Grammar is believed to consist of a set of principles that apply to all languages and parameters that vary among languages. Example: Noun-phrases following verbs is a principle, while subject-verb-object order versus subject-object-verb order is a parameter.
Role of Syntax in UG
Syntax within UG is the set of rules and principles for sentence structure inherent to the human brain. Example: All human languages having a recursive nature that allows an infinite number of sentences.
UG and Language Variation
UG accounts for language variation by combining universal principles with parameters that vary among languages. Example: Different word orders across languages are understood thanks to the parameter setting.
Learnability and UG
UG addresses the learnability issue, explaining how children can acquire complex language systems efficiently. Example: Children’s rapid acquisition of language with limited exposure and instruction.
Poverty of the Stimulus Argument
This argument suggests that children cannot acquire a language through environmental stimuli alone, as they are exposed to a limited set of inputs. Example: Children achieving a full grasp of language despite often hearing incomplete or grammatically incorrect sentences.
Neurological Evidence for UG
Studies have found brain regions specifically active in language processing, supporting the UG idea of innate language abilities. Example: The Broca's and Wernicke's areas showing activity related to language tasks.
Universal Grammar and Bilingualism
UG may explain how individuals can acquire multiple languages, suggesting that the same innate principles apply to all languages learned. Example: A child learning two languages from birth without confusion, pointing to a common underlying grammar.
Language Aptitude and UG
Language aptitude may be partially explained by individual variations in accessing or utilizing innate UG principles. Example: Some people picking up new languages with remarkable ease could be due to better utilization of UG capacities.
Critical Period Hypothesis
The Critical Period Hypothesis suggests there is a window during early development when the brain is especially receptive to language acquisition. Example: Difficulty in language learning experienced by individuals beyond the critical period, such as adults learning a second language.
Innateness Hypothesis
The Innateness Hypothesis suggests that linguistic structures are built into the human mind and are not learned through experience. Example: The apparent ease with which infants perceive phonetic distinctions used in all languages.
Chomsky's Transformational Grammar
Transformational Grammar is Chomsky's theory involving deep and surface structures in sentences, with innate rules used for transforming deep into surface structures. Example: The question 'What are you eating?' derives from 'You are eating what.'
Recursion in Universal Grammar
Recursion refers to the ability to build an unlimited number of sentences by embedding clauses within each other. Example: 'The cat the dog chased was black' demonstrates clause embedding.
The Modularity Hypothesis and UG
The Modularity Hypothesis proposes that the brain has specialized modules for different functions, including language, which underpins UG. Example: Language disorders, like aphasia, which don't affect other cognitive functions, suggest language modularity.
Continuity Hypothesis
The Continuity Hypothesis suggests that the language abilities of adults and children are fundamentally the same, with UG continuing to operate post-critical period. Example: Adults still have the ability to acquire new grammar, albeit less efficiently than children.
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