Noam Chomsky's Theory of Universal Grammar and Development of Language Coursework

Noam Chomskys Theory of Universal Grammar and Development of Language Abilities in Humans - Coursework ExampleAccording to Chomsky, the mental process of language acquisition is genetically programmed and occurs as a consequence of the complex mental processes in the human brain. Simply stated, individuals possess inherent abilities and capacities, needed to consider the principal rules of grammar and apply them to construct meaningful sentences.Ample evidence supports the Chomskyan thesis. A profound analysis of language typology by Herman (2009) shows that all languages within and beyond the Austronesian separate exhibit the same well-formed characteristics and operate the same list of grammatical conventions. These conventions reflect the ways, in which sentences in different languages are constructed (Kay & Fillmore 1999). Crain (2009) uses disjunctions to show, that children have a grammatical view of language different from that of adults, meaning that they develop their la nguage structures, based on the a priori knowledge of grammatical rules. That the changes in language do not prevent children from acquiring and learning it is one of the principal arguments in favor of the UG thesis. However, not all scholars readily agree with this viewpoint.Language diversity refutes a belief in grammatical universality across languages. The absence of certain grammatical categories in different languages further challenges the UG viewpoint. Ultimately, the UG thesis itself is a result of the lack of observational and uninflected skills in professional linguists.The current state of literature does not fully support the UG thesis but does not reject it. Objectively, Chomskyan theory exemplifies one of the crucial dimensions of scholarly research into English grammar and other languages and creates a foundation for future linguistic research. Even if Chomskyan universal grammar theory seems to neglect the differences between languages and the cultural/ social f actors affecting language development, it operates strong arguments supporting the generalization and standardization of grammar patterns across languages. Apparently, future research must concentrate on the investigation of genetic mechanisms and their purpose in first and second language acquisition by English learners.