Final answer:
The question's correct answer is A) True, most learning about mental grammar is unconscious. This is consistent with both Noam Chomsky's and Sigmund Freud's theories on the innate capacity for language acquisition and the unconscious nature of most mental processes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks whether our knowledge of mental grammar is primarily unconscious. The correct answer is A) True. A substantial part of our knowledge about grammar is unconsciously acquired. This includes the cognitive use of language that involves rules we apply automatically without conscious thought when we organize words to communicate effectively about a variety of topics, from concrete to abstract.
Children, as highlighted by Noam Chomsky, exhibit a remarkable ability to acquire language rapidly with little conscious effort, suggesting a biological predisposition to language learning. This inherent capacity, referred to as the Language Acquisition Device (LAD), operates alongside environmental interactions and reinforcement.
Sigmund Freud's comparison of the mind to an iceberg further emphasizes that most of our mental processes, including linguistic functions, remain unconscious. Thus, most learning about mental grammar occurs below the level of conscious awareness, aligning with perspectives from both linguistics and psychology on unconscious cognition.