<P> Emergentist theories , such as MacWhinney 's competition model , posit that language acquisition is a cognitive process that emerges from the interaction of biological pressures and the environment . According to these theories , neither nature nor nurture alone is sufficient to trigger language learning ; both of these influences must work together in order to allow children to acquire a language . The proponents of these theories argue that general cognitive processes subserve language acquisition and that the end result of these processes is language - specific phenomena , such as word learning and grammar acquisition . The findings of many empirical studies support the predictions of these theories , suggesting that language acquisition is a more complex process than many believe . </P>
<P> Emergentist theories , such as MacWhinney 's competition model , posit that language acquisition is a cognitive process that emerges from the interaction of biological pressures and the environment . According to these theories , neither nature nor nurture alone is sufficient to trigger language learning ; both of these influences must work together in order to allow children to acquire a language . The proponents of these theories argue that general cognitive processes subserve language acquisition and that the end result of these processes is language - specific phenomena , such as word learning and grammar acquisition . The findings of many empirical studies support the predictions of these theories , suggesting that language acquisition is a more complex process than many believe . </P>
the emergentist model of language acquisition claims that language emerges primarily from
the emergentist model of language acquisition claims that language emerges primarily from
the interaction of biological pressures and the environment
the interaction of biological pressures and the environment