Poverty of Stimulus in Language Acquisition

Study Notes

Poverty of Stimulus Argument

Acquisition of language requires input, or stimulus, from spoken utterances directed at children.
Chomsky argues that the linguistic input available to children is insufficient to account for the complexity of mental grammar development, leading to the term 'poverty of stimulus.'

Analogue of Language Learning

Learning a language without any Universal Grammar (UG) guidance resembles attending a class with an empty notebook, lacking any foundational material.
Conversely, learning a language with innate UG is analogous to having a pre-printed manual, where the learner only needs to fill in the specifics.

Subtle Properties of Language

The conventional belief holds that children primarily learn their language through parental interaction.
However, language contains subtle, universal properties that children rarely encounter in their environment, suggesting these characteristics may be inherently built into the child.

WH Movement and Learning

The structure-dependent and cyclic nature of WH movement in language acquisition may imply inherent cognitive mechanisms within children.

Continuation of the Poverty of Stimulus Argument

Chomsky posits that when linguistic input lacks evidence for certain language properties, those properties are likely embedded within Universal Grammar.

Poverty of Imagination

While these language complexities may appear challenging to uncover, the absence of a clear learning pathway does not imply one doesn't exist.

Description

This quiz explores the Poverty of Stimulus argument in language acquisition, focusing on Chomsky's theories on how children learn language without sufficient input. It discusses the role of Universal Grammar and the subtle properties of language that may be innately understood by children, challenging conventional beliefs about language learning.