Universal grammar is a theory that claims all languages share certain characteristics, and humans are born knowing them. Linguists study linguistic universals and the Language Acquisition Device (LAD) in the brain. The theory was first discussed by Roger Bacon in the 13th century. The LAD is said to allow children to learn language quickly, and the critical period hypothesis suggests it becomes harder to access as we age. Understanding universal grammar could make language learning easier.
Universal grammar is a controversial linguistic theory which claims that there are certain characteristics shared by all languages and that humans are born knowing these characteristics. Some linguists try to identify these characteristics, while others study the differences between children and adult language learners to determine what information is innate and what they learn. Basic applications of universal grammar include the study of proposed linguistic universals and the search for a portion of the brain known as the Language Acquisition Device (LAD).
Although the best known proponent of universal grammar is Noam Chomsky, the theory was first discussed years before his inception. Roger Bacon wrote the first universal theory of grammar in the 13th century, some seven centuries before Chomsky’s 1957 publication Syntactic Structures. Universal grammar is proposed mainly because of the similarities between the languages and the poverty of the stimulus argument, which states that children learn the language almost automatically without receiving sufficient education.
The characteristics that all languages share are called linguistic universals. There are two types of absolute and statistical universals. Absolute universals are those that are true in all known cases, and there are very few of them. For example, “all languages have pronouns” is an absolute universal. Statistical universals are better known as trends because they are only true in most cases, not all.
Linguist Joseph Greenberg developed forty-five universals from his study of some thirty languages, and almost all of them were implicative. This type of universal takes the form of an if-then statement, such as “if a language is spoken, then it has consonants and vowels”. Non-implicative universals are simple declarative statements. For example, the sentence “all languages have nouns and verbs” is a non-implicative universal.
Scientists also conduct cognitive studies based on universal grammar. A theory within universal grammar states that everyone is born with a language acquisition device (LAD). The LAD is a part of the brain that automatically knows all the linguistic universals and allows children to learn a language quickly. Because language learning is more difficult for adults than for children, the critical period hypothesis states that LAD degenerates or becomes increasingly difficult to access as the child grows older.
Both applications of universal grammar could greatly increase the ability and ease of learning languages. For example, someone who knows all linguistic universals would have a great advantage in learning every natural language. Furthermore, if scientists discover an LAD and learn to access it throughout their lives, older people may be able to learn languages as easily as a preschooler.
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