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The Innate theory asserts that language is an innate capacity and that a child‟s
brain contains special language-learning mechanisms at birth in which the main

proponent of this theory is Chomsky. It is highly unlikely for learning to be the
same for each individual; that is, each person cannot learn equally well in the same
conditions in which learning takes place, for the background and the experience of
the learners make everybody learn differently. In addition, according to Chomsky,
there must be some innate capacities which human beings possess that predispose
them to look for basic patters in language.
Chomsky stated that innateness hypothesis is on three counts. These are-
1. The existence of language universals
2. Language learning at all
3. The speed of acquisition of language
1. The existence of language universals:

Chomsky is a nativist in claiming that the principles of universal grammar are
innate rather than learned. However, he does not claim that children are born with
a fully specified grammar. Children still have to go through the process of
acquiring the grammar of the language they are exposed to. Children are quick
learners of their mother tongue, which is what led Chomsky to suppose that they
must be born with two types of universals-
 Formal: Formal universals are the rules that we use to form meaningful
syllables, phrases, sentences. For example, phrase structure rules determine
how phrases and sentences can be build up from words.
 Substantive: Substantive universals are grammatical categories like noun or
verb and grammatical functions such as subject or object – which is known
as the basic building blocks of grammar.
Substantive universals concern the vocabulary for the description of language and
a formal linguistic universal involve the character of the rules that appear in
grammars and the ways in which they can be interconnected. Chomsky theorized
that children were born with a hard-wired language acquisition device in their
brains. The innate component of language in human beings is called the Language
Acquisition Device (LAD).
LAD
The LAD contains a set of abstract principles common to all languages which
enables the child to generate an infinite variety of sentences. As Chomsky
mentioned samples of the language are necessary to trigger the LAD which then
enables the child to discover for himself/herself the rules of the language. When a
child is exposed to a language, they, with the aid of LAD, will unconsciously
identify what sort of language they are dealing with, and adjust their grammar to
the correct one. This linguistic faculty of accommodation is thought to be innate to
all human beings. It is placed somewhere in the brain and consists of linguistic
universals. Its existence enables children to acquire the grammar of a language to
which they are exposed to, and understand the input they receive from the
environment.
2. Language learning at all
With the innateness hypothesis Chomsky came to the conclusion that the only way
children can acquire the intricate rules of grammar and syntax, when they are still
yet to mature on many other levels, is if they are born with knowledge of the
fundamental organizing principles of grammar. It is certain that children must be
exposed to language in order to acquire it but they do not learn language by
imitating or from corrections alone. For example-
 The language learning process it too complex to be obtained through
imitation, nor are children very successful at imitating sentences that contain
novel words or sentences. Children are not taught language either. Parents
do not often correct children when they make grammatical errors in their
speech and they much rather correct their child when it comes to factual
errors.
 When the parent decides to correct their child’s grammatical mistakes it
turns out to be almost impossible and children must acquire the rules of
language independent from parental stimuli.
 ‘Baby talk’ might help children to learn some aspect of linguistic
organization but it also means that they are deprived of fully grammatical
language making it impossible for them to acquire adult grammar simply by
imitating the input.
Children are exposed to imperfect language from the adults around them and yet
they learn language perfectly, independent of intelligence or IQ. All children
manage to learn language themselves and they do so with remarkably little trouble,
given the complexity of the system they are learning. Children use Universal
Grammar (Formal and Substantial) to get a grasp of the language in their
environment and apply it in their native language. It is based on the idea that all
languages have the same ancestor and that the grammars of all-natural languages
share the basic aspects of grammar. For example-the basics of syntax.
3. The speed of acquisition of language

The final concern of innatist theory is the speed of acquisition of language. The
children are nor ready to take a language if they are not programmed to do so. At
first language is learned in situation of immediacy. For example, if a mother reacts
with love when a child call her “Mama”, the child gets to understand that if he calls
her “Mama”, his mother becomes happy. So, he again calls her by “Mama”. He
learnt the word “Mama” in the situation of immediacy. The situation acts as a
crutch to language learning and the child is often able to get the meaning of the
utterances. The inborn grammar helps making first language acquisition a
relatively simple process for children. It helps children figure out the fundamental
generative grammar of their native language.

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The Innate theory asserts that language is an innate capacity and that a child‟s

brain contains special language-learning mechanisms at birth in which the main

1. The existence of language universals:

3. The speed of acquisition of language

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