Language Acquisition

Abstract: A 6 page paper. Until the late 1950s, it was traditionally believed that an infant acquired language from the parent or caregiver, specifically, it was believed that infants simply mimicked the sounds that they heard from parents and other caregivers. In 1957, A. Noam Chomsky offered a different perspective. Language acquisition was innate, according to Chomsky. This essay explains Chomsky's concepts of Universal Grammar and the Language Acquisition Device and how he came to make these conclusions. The difference between acquisition and learning is explained. Finally, the need to bring in Piaget's theories to explain all of language acquisition is explored. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

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Catagory: General

Subcatagory: Communications, Media, Theory, Etc

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