Language Acquisition Device and the Origin of Language

In the early twentieth century, psychologists realized that language is not just understanding words, but also requires learning grammar, syntax, and semantics. Modern language is incredibly complex, but young children can understand it remarkably well. This idea supports Chomsky’s idea that language learning is innate. According to his hypothesis, young children receive “primary linguistic data” from what is spoken around them, which helps them develop knowledge of that specific language (Cowie 2008). Children passively absorb language from adults, peers, and exposure to media. However, this data is not sufficient to explain how children can learn unique constructions of words and grammar patterns. Previously structuralists created a list of “phrase structure rules” to generate all possible grammar patterns. However, Chomsky argued that grammar must also include “transformations” that combine old sentence patterns and reorganize them. He called these patterns “generative grammars.” For a child to understand patterns of this complexity, their language ability must be well developed. The primary linguistic data they’re exposed to isn’t enough to give them this complexity. The complexity of language allows Chomsky to refute B.F. Skinner’s hypothesis that grammar is developed through operant condition-ing. Too many usages of each individual word are needed for conditioning to be a viable option. Since people can say and understand unique sentences, language ability must transcend pure conditioning. Furthermore, the mechanism for operant conditioning is unlikely to take place in a child’s language development. If a child is trying to learn a new grammar pattern and makes a mistake, he or she could either be corrected by their parents or hear the sentence said by a more competent speaker. However, parents may not correct the child, and even if one child hears the correct sentence, it is unlikely that all children will hear a similar phrase. This does not prove that an innate language learning faculty exists, but it does strongly disregard operant conditioning’s role in language development.Ope