optional subject.....English seminar

2. Noam Chomsky
 Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an
American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist,
historian, social critic and political activist.
 Sometimes described as "the father of modern
linguistics", and one of the founders of the field of
cognitive science.
 He developed the theory of transformational grammar; for
this, he was awarded his doctorate in 1955.
 Chomsky is credited as the creator or co-creator of the
universal grammar theory, the generative grammar theory,
the Chomsky hierarchy, and the minimalist program.

3. LANGUAGELEARNING BY INTERACTION

4. What Is the Language Acquisition Device?
 Anybody who has had or known a child knows that children take
to learning language at a remarkable rate. In fact, it seemed a
little too remarkable for one linguistics researcher.
 Noam Chomsky, put forth an idea called the language
acquisition device or LAD, for short.
 The LAD is a hypothetical tool hardwired into the brain that
helps children rapidly learn and understand language.

5. • LAD is a theoretical concept.
• There isn't a section of the brain with 'language
acquisition device' printed on it.
• Chomsky developed the LAD in the 1950s, and since
then, has moved on to a greater theory called universal
grammar (or UG) .

6.  Universal grammar (UG) in linguistics, is the theory of the genetic
component of the language faculty, usually credited to Noam Chomsky.
 The basic postulate of UG is that a certain set of structural rules are
innate to humans, independent of sensory experience. It is sometimes
known as "mental grammar", and stands contrasted with other
"grammars", e.g. prescriptive, descriptive and pedagogical.

7. Argument
The theory of universal grammar proposes that if
human beings are brought up under normal conditions,
then they will always develop language with certain
properties .
The theory proposes that there is an innate, genetically
determined language faculty that knows these rules,
making it easier and faster for children to learn to
speak than it otherwise would be.

9. CRITICISMS
• Universal grammar has no coherent formulation and is indeed
unnecessary.
• Universal grammar is in conflict with biology: it cannot have
evolved by standardly accepted neo-Darwinian evolutionary
principles.
• There are no linguistic universals: universal grammar is refuted
by abundant variation at all levels of linguistic organization.