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Universality: A Theory of Grammar Should

1) Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar posits that children are born with an innate language faculty that allows them to rapidly acquire the grammar of their native language based on linguistic experience. 2) This faculty is determined by principles of grammar and language-specific parameters that are set based on a child's input. 3) Key aspects of this faculty include the ability to learn any human language, patterns of uniform acquisition across children, and the subconscious nature of the learning process.

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28 views1 page

Universality: A Theory of Grammar Should

1) Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar posits that children are born with an innate language faculty that allows them to rapidly acquire the grammar of their native language based on linguistic experience. 2) This faculty is determined by principles of grammar and language-specific parameters that are set based on a child's input. 3) Key aspects of this faculty include the ability to learn any human language, patterns of uniform acquisition across children, and the subconscious nature of the learning process.

Uploaded by

NUR ARIFAH DAUD
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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WEEK 1: GRAMMAR/ RADFORD Complement: The other constituents contained in the

phrase that complete its meaning is called


Acquisition Theory: how children acquire grammars of
complements.
their native languages

Chomsky: acquisition is determined by a biologically


endowed innate language faculty within the brain Principles and parameters in syntax
which provides children with a (genetically
It is a framework which explains a person’s syntactic
transmitted) algorithm for developing grammar on the
system in accordance to general principles (abstract
basis of their linguistic experience (speech input)
rules, grammars) and specific parameters (markers,
Evidence for innate language faculty: switches)

1) All human possesses such ability, which is not  Position of head in phrases is determined by a
related to general intelligence parameter
2) Pattern of uniformity of acquisition in children o Head-initial (Engilsh)
3) Rapidity of acquisition o Head-final (Japanese)
4) Language acquisition is a subconscious and  Wh-parameter
involuntary activity  Null subject parameter
o those languages that can leave the subject of
Characteristics of language faculty:
a sentence unexpressed. any clause can be
1) Allow the child to develop a grammar of any uttered leaving the subject unexpressed.
natural language on the basis of suitable o Italian, Spanish
linguistic experience o ¿Ves este tronco? Sería bueno para la
fogata. Completamente seco. (Spanish)
Universal Grammar: Theory of Grammar
o See this log? Would be good for the
 Universality: a theory of grammar should campfire. Completely dry (literal, direct
provide us with the tools needed to describle translation)
the grammar of any natural language o (Do) you see this log? (It) would be good for
adequately. the campfire. (It is) completely dry (English
 Descriptive adequacy: a grammar of a given gloss)
language has descriptive adequacy if it
explains observed language data and the
intuitions of native speakers about the
grammaticality of sentences of a language
Smith (2004) Chapter 2
 Explanatory adequacy: a theory of grammar
has explanatory adequacy if it explains how  Polish is a two-placed predicate; one which
native speakers of a language can arrive at the selects two semantic arguments (an Agent
knowledge of that language. who does the polishing, and a Patient which is
 Learnability: an adequate linguistic theory polished)
must provide adequate grammars which are  Patients are always Noun Phrases
learnable by young children in a relatively short  The relations between the Agent and Patient
period of time. i.e., it must account for the with the verb are crucially different
uniformity and rapidity of language
acquisition, given the poverty of stimulus.

Head (of a phrase): The constituent fundamental to the


phrase, from which the phrase derives its name. (e.g.
a noun phrase is “headed” by a noun).

Each phrase (NP, VP, etc) is the projection of the head.

NP is headed by N

VP is headed by V, etc.

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