Language Acquisition Theories

What is the predominant theory that explains how humans learn language?

According to the innateness hypothesis, children are born with knowledge of specific language patterns.

What are the two early theories of language acquisition that have been refuted?

Which theory is considered the most influential in explaining language acquisition?

What is the innate set of structural characteristics shared by all languages called?

What evidence supports the claim that language ability is innate in humans?

The term 'critical period' refers to a specific time frame during which language acquisition is most effective but not absolutely necessary.

What is the specific age range that is generally accepted as the critical period for language acquisition?

What are the two main sources of evidence for the existence of a critical period in language acquisition?

What is the name of the sign language developed by deaf children in Nicaragua?

The creation of ISN supports the innateness hypothesis because it shows that children can invent new languages without prior exposure to a complete system.

Language Acquisition

Languages are complex systems
Humans learn language, potentially through innate rules
Children go through stages of development (babbling, one-word, two-word, etc.)
Second language acquisition can differ from first-language acquisition

Theories of Language Acquisition

Innateness hypothesis is a prominent theory
This theory suggests humans are born with language capacity and ability to create rules
Other theories include imitation and reinforcement, but these have been refuted
Active Construction of a Grammar Theory is a prominent current theory
Connectionist Theories and Social Interaction Theory are other relevant theories

Innateness Hypothesis

Language ability is innate in humans
Humans have a genetic predisposition to learn language
Innate knowledge that language has patterns and ability to find patterns
Language is understood in terms of linguistic universals
Universal grammar is the inborn set of structural characteristics shared by all languages
This innate ability is supported by the work of biologist Eric Lenneberg
He argued that learned behavior differs from certain biologically controlled behaviors, which suggest a genetic component for language.

Critical Period Hypothesis

There is a critical period for language acquisition between birth and puberty
Language exposure during this period is crucial for development of language structures
Limited or no exposure might result in difficulties or inability to acquire normal language skills
Evidence from feral or neglected children support critical period hypothesis but may have confounding variables like abuse

Cases of Genie and Isabelle

Genie (discovered when 14): severe language delay due to abuse and isolation
Isabelle (discovered at 6.5): less severe delay due to isolation in non-abusive environment
These cases support critical period/innateness theory to some extent but confounding factors present, therefore difficult to fully support.

Deaf Children

Deaf children who grow up with homesign (communicative gesture), eventually develop sophisticated language and grammatical systems from these signs - This demonstrates language development without explicit formal language knowledge.

Explore the complexities of language acquisition through various theories including the Innateness Hypothesis and Active Construction of Grammar. This quiz will guide you through stages of development in both first and second language learning. Test your understanding of key concepts and theories in linguistics.