LAD provides children with aknowledge of

linguistic universals

such as the existence

of word order and word classes.

LAD provides children

only general procedures for

discovering language

to be learned.

Noam Chomsky on Universal Grammar and the genetics of language with captioninghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbKO-9n5qmc

Evidence used to support Chomsky’s innatist position:

Evidence used to support Chomsky’s innatist position:

Evidence used to support Chomsky’s innatist position:

• The biological basis for the innatist position:The Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH) –Lenneberg:

There is a specific and limited time period (i.e., “critical period”) for the LAD to work

successfully.

Only when it is stimulated at the right time

The biological basis for the innatist position:

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• Learning is a personal construction of knowledge to be learned based on the learner’s previous experience.

Learner’s experience

Knowledge to be learned

Learner’s personal construction

ReceivingInformation

Processing information

Constructing new

meanings

Input(listening,reading)

Decoding

Relating what learners already know

with the received information

(Listening/reading)

comprehension

output

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Each of the three theoretical approaches explains a different aspect of first language acquisition.

1. Behaviorists: SKINNER (learning through imitation, practice, reinforcement, habit-formation) – the acquisition of vocabulary and grammatical morphemes.

2. Innatists: CHOMSKY (LAD/UG/) – the acquisition of complex grammar (structure of the language).

3. Cognitivists/ Interactionists: Piaget & Vygotsky (social interaction) – the acquisition of how form and meaning are related, how communicative functions are carried out, and how language is used appropriately.