CSpoken- Chomsky Flashcards
(12 cards)
Chomsky’s language theory
Nativist theory
Nativist theory
Chomsky’s idea that there is an innate genetic element in the brain which prepares infants for language acquisition (Language acquisition Device)
Overextension
When a child uses a more specific word in place of a more general word
Underextension
When a child uses a more general word to refer to something more specific.
Reasons for over and under extension
The child is demonstrating they know specific features in overextension, and they are still learning differences between environments in underextension.
When was nativist theory proposed
1965
What does the Language Acquisition Device do?
Allows the child to assemble a set of rules about a language as they hear it being used around them
What can the LAD explain
How children are able to say grammatically complex phrases without hearing them before
Strengths of nativist theory
-All children around the world go through similar stages
-Medical research suggests there are areas of the brain which control language
-Berko’s Wug test
Limitations of nativist theory
-Chomsky never did practical experiments, so the theory is not empirical
-The theory ignores how children develop, only focusing on their innate abilities.
-Underestimates the role of interaction and caregivers
Berko’s Wug test
Presented children with an imaginary ‘Wug’.
Another was then shown and the children were able to correctly pluralise to ‘Wugs’
This shows the children have an innate understanding of grammatical rules, as even very young children were able to apply the plural ‘s’
How to identify nativist theory in an extract
Correct syntax
Modal verbs
SVO sentence structure
Under and over extension
Children correcting adults or resisting correction
