This document discusses the history of the Innateness Hypothesis in linguistics from 1965-1986. It proposes that human language ability is hardwired in our brains and follows universal syntactic rules. However, other linguists disputed this view, arguing that meaning is more important than syntax. This led to disagreements over the role of semantics and whether the mind has a specialized language faculty or relies on general cognitive abilities. Ultimately, Chomsky's focus on discovering the universal rules of syntax through movement and X-bar theory became dominant, though X-bar theory was later abandoned.
13. INNATENESS hypothesis
• Human language ability is SPECIAL PURPOSE
• It is separate from other mental abilities
• It works INDEPENDENTLY from other mental
abilities
• The skills involved in language ability are
UNIQUE to language
• Ordinary mental ability is NOT involved in
language ability
18. • Anyway, the Innateness Hypothesis became
very popular
• Chomsky started looking for evidence of how
our unique language ability works
• Analyzing SYNTAX!!
• Everyone believed it!!
• No … actually NOT everyone believed it