A2: Chomsky Acquisition of Language

Question 1

Who is Noam Chomsky?

Answer 1

• a cognitive scientist
• he developed the theory of “language acquisition device” (LAD)

Question 2

What is LAD?

Answer 2

• language acquisition device
• outlines the principles of a language into the child’s brain

Question 3

What does Chomsky claim about certain linguistic structures which children use accurately?

Answer 3

• must already be imprinted on the child’s mind

Question 4

What does Chomsky claim is already imprinted on a child’s mind?

Answer 4

• that certain linguistic structures which children use accurately

Question 5

What is the only thing children have to learn in language?

Answer 5

• new vocabulary
• and apply the syntactic structures from the LAD to form new sentences

Question 6

What did Chomsky point out that children couldn’t possibly do and why?

Answer 6

• learn a language through copying alone
• because the language spoken around them is highly irregular (adult’s speech is often broken up and even sometimes ungrammatical)

Question 7

Children are pre-programmed:

Answer 7

• to acquire language
• it evolves naturally in the same same they have the ability to stand and walk

Question 8

What does Chomskys theory apply to?

Answer 8

• all languages
• they all contain nouns, verbs, consonants and vowels
• appear to be hard-wired to acquire the grammar

Question 9

When do children become fluent in their native language?

Answer 9

• within 5-6 years
• regardless of intellectual ability

Question 10

What evidence is there to support Chomsky’s theory?

Answer 10

• child would notice if adult deliberately said a grammatically incorrect sentence
• children say things that are ungrammatical (eg “mama ball”) which they can’t have learnt passively
• mistakes in grammar show they aren’t learning from imitation alone (eg “i drawed” instead of “i drew”)