Personal Reflection on Linguist Noam Chomsky's Language Acquisition Theory
Language truly sets the human race apart. We are the only species which can produce unlimited meaningful utterings from a limited set of symbols. Though this alone is remarkable, what is even more remarkable about language is the fact that children acquire something as complex as language at such an early age.
Linguist Noam Chomsky, in contrast to the earlier behaviorist approach, believed that children do not need much input in order to produce language, and that output is not a direct consequence of input. His theory is based on the idea that humans are born with an innate ability to acquire language. According to Chomsky, humans are born with a set of universal principles common to all languages, Universal Grammar. This initial state is called the S0. The Language Acquisition Device embedded in our brains allows us to process input and produce e-language, that is, external language. When we reach full linguistic competence, we are said to be in the Ss.
I find Chomsky’s theory truly fascinating. I am captivated by the mysteriousness of the human brain. I really enjoy attending seminars devoted to looking into how the brain works and what triggers its different areas. Based on Chomsky’s arguments and findings, I am convinced that his theory on language acquisition may very well be, actually, fact.
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