Final answer:
Language acquisition is influenced by a biological predisposition and improves with age and practice, demonstrating a critical period in early life. Delayed language development can result from environmental factors, as opposed to just cognitive deficits. The uniformity in language learning across cultures implies innate cognitive abilities and linguistic universals shaped by environmental interactions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Language Development and Influence
Language development improves with age and practice, and while biology does play a significant role, it is not the only factor. Genetics provide a biological predisposition for language acquisition, as evident in the consistent patterns of language learning among children across different cultures. Language acquisition seems to face a critical period, after which learning a new language can become more challenging. This period is marked by increased proficiency in acquiring language skills early in life. Moreover, language development can be impeded by various factors, and delayed language development is not always due to cognitive deficits—it could also be influenced by environmental aspects, as seen in cases like Genie's, where deprivation of language exposure during the critical period affected her grammatical mastery, despite a rapid vocabulary learning once she was in a nurturing environment.
Individual differences in language development include environmental influence, cognitive abilities, and gene-environment interactions. While language shapes cognition and our interaction with the world, humans innately share certain cognitive abilities and anatomical structures that give rise to linguistic universals. This commonality reflects how language is not only a product of environmental conditions but also how humans interpret their environment through language.