Universal Grammar

Universal Grammar

1. INTRODUCTION

   • Main themes
     • Views of the nature of language.
       • Views of the la guage learning process.
         • Views of the language learning.
           • Links between language learning theory and social practice.

2. Knowledge of language

   • Linguistic theory aims to define what all human lanugages have in common.
   • Define characteristics that make human language different from other systems of communication.
   • How is it acquired?
     • There is a biologically endowed universal grammar.
     • L2 people start with L1 parameters and readjust them depending on the input.
     • L2 learned have to face the challenge of learning just like children do.
   • How is it put to use?
     • Psycholinguistic factors such as de brain information processing capacity.
     • How different language modules (syntax - semantic) inteface with one another.
     • Abstact mental representation of the language.

3. Arguments for UG from L1 acquisition

   • Children go through developmental stages.
   • Those stages are similar across language.
   • Child language is rule-governed and systematic.
   • Children are resistan to correction.
   • Children processign capacity limits the number of rules they can apply at any time.
   • Children learn through fairly well defined stages.
   • They vary the age and speed at which they go through each debelopmental step.

4. Second language learning theories (SLA)

   • Certain areas of the brain deal with specific aspects of the language.
   • There are some innate linguistic faculties, wich are bilogically triggered.
   • Refers both to the to the study of individuals and groups who are learning a language.

5. Principal Character (NOAM CHOMSKY)

   • Linguistic, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist.
   • Proposed the revolutionary idea about humans and their ability to acquire languages.
   • What is Universal Grammar?
     • System of principles and structures that are the prerequisites for language acqusition to which every lanmguage necessarily conforms.
   • He thought language is abasic instruction of human.
   • We all born with an innate knowledge abour grammar as basisis for language acquisition.

6. What does it consist of?

   • Charateize the innate language faculty.
     • Dennis Joel Chimbo Guiracocha PINE 5_P1
   • Possess descriuptive and explanatory adequacy.

7. Its principles

   • L1 learners consists of a set of universal principles of language.
   • Individual languages vary in a limited way.

8. Functional Categoies

   • Lexical category (open classes).
     • Refers to words that have a specific meaning.
   • Functional category (close classes).
     • Create relationshipsbetween them and helpyou interpret lexical words in a text.

9. UG and second language acquisition

   • Theoretical relevance of UG in SLA
     • L1 and L1 learning languages were similar in many aspects.
     • L2 learners go trhough rather rigid stages when acquiring L2.
     • L2 are not restringed by Ug principles and parameters.

10. Hypothesis about UG in SLA

    • Ug doesn't play a role in SLA.
    • UG is fully available to second language learners.
    • All principles applied to L1 are the basis for the L2 development.

11. Evaluation os UG based on SLA approaches

    • The scope of UG is potentially very broad.
    • Main focus on morphosyntax.
    • UG apprach has been concerned .
    • UG based approaches to SLA have been criticized.

12. UG and first LA

    • Phrase structure: Specifier - head element - complement
    • In English language: Specifier - head element - complement. The structure is always the same (just changes in the head category).
    • In japanese language: Specifier - complement - head category.
    • In Malagasy language: Head category - complement - specifier.
    • UG Theory
      • Children build grammar as they learn leaxical structures.
      • Provides the context for children to acquire their mother tounge.
      • Predicts how children learn a new language.

13. Nohan Chomsky on UG (VIDEO)

    • It has a technical meaning.
    • Refers to a genetic component of the language faculty.
    • Children pick up the capacity that other people using, structuring the sentences in a given language.
    • children have some specific genetic capacity.
    • People have a highly intricate computational system in the brain.
      • It produces results in first language acquisition.
    • Human genetic variation is very slight.
    • Each particular language have a highly intricate and complex system of rules.
    • There are parameter that children pick up from experience in acquiring language.
    • Each expression comes with a semantic interpretation.