Question

248. Noam Chomsky's language theory included the idea that:

(A) Language development occurs between the ages of three and five.
(B) Children learn language through positive and negative reinforcement.
(C) Children make the same grammatical errors as their parents.
(D) Children model language development from those around them.
(E) Children have an innate mental grammar.

Answer 1

Noam Chomsky's language theory suggests that children possess an innate grammatical framework, known as a Language Acquisition Device, that facilitates language learning, highlighting our biological predisposition for this task during a critical period in early childhood.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question pertains to Noam Chomsky's theory on language development in children. According to Chomsky, contrary to B. F. Skinner's behaviorist approach, which suggested that language learning is a result of positive and negative reinforcement, children have an innate capacity to learn language. Chomsky introduced the concept of a Language Acquisition Device (LAD), which is an inherent mental faculty enabling children to instinctively acquire and understand language.

Chomsky's hypothesis is based on the observation that language acquisition unfolds in a predictable sequence and happens swiftly and effectively during the early stages of life, suggesting a biological predisposition to acquire language knowledge. This process takes place during a critical period in early childhood, across different cultures, and does not require formal instruction. Subsequently, current research in the field of cognitive development and linguistics supports a blended view recognizing both innate biological abilities and the influence of the linguistic environment in the development of language in children.