Final answer:
Language acquisition involves the interaction of environmental influences and the inborn tendency to acquire language. Both B. F. Skinner and Noam Chomsky are correct in their theories of language acquisition. Language development occurs rapidly in young children and there is a critical period for language acquisition.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Gleitman & Newport (1995), language acquisition involves the interaction of environmental influences and the inborn tendency to acquire language. Researchers now believe that language acquisition is partially inborn and partially learned through our interactions with our linguistic environment.
Both B. F. Skinner and Noam Chomsky are correct in their theories of language acquisition. Skinner believed that language is learned through reinforcement and feedback, while Chomsky proposed that we are born with an innate capacity to learn language. The current understanding is that language acquisition is influenced by both nature and nurture.
It is important to note that language development occurs rapidly and effortlessly in young children, suggesting a biological predisposition to acquire language. Additionally, there appears to be a critical period for language acquisition, with proficiency being maximal early in life.