UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR

UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR

1. Innate language faculty

   • Linguistic competence
   • AS children mature language matures too.

2. Set of principles

   • Common to all languages

3. Motivated by

   • Succesful language learning in children
     • Inspite of
       • Poverty of stimulus

4. Initial state in SLA

   • Fundamental Difference Hypothesis
     • Adults L2 learners do not have access to UG
     • Children and adults learn different
   • Accces to UG Hypothesis
     • UG is constant
     • Starting points of L2 acquisition
       • UG as the base
         • The initial hypothesis of syntax
         • Full access/ No transfer
       • L1 as the base
         • Valueless Features
         • Minimal Trees
         • Full transfer/ Full access

5. Principles

   • Parameter setting (Structure dependence)
     • Noun phrase- Verb phrase- Prepositional phrase
     • Subject/ Verb agreement
   • Subjacency
     • Amount of movements within sentences
   • Empty Category Principles

6. Parameters

   • Pro-drop parameter (Positive or Negative)
     • Omission of the subject
     • Sub- verb inversion
     • That- trace