<P> The nativist theory , proposed by Noam Chomsky , argues that language is a unique human accomplishment , and can be attributed to either `` millions of years of evolution '' or to `` principles of neural organization that may be even more deeply grounded in physical law '' . Chomsky says that all children have what is called an innate language acquisition device ( LAD ) . Theoretically , the LAD is an area of the brain that has a set of universal syntactic rules for all languages . This device provides children with the ability to make sense of knowledge and construct novel sentences with minimal external input and little experience . Chomsky 's claim is based upon the view that what children hear -- their linguistic input -- is insufficient to explain how they come to learn language . He argues that linguistic input from the environment is limited and full of errors . Therefore , nativists assume that it is impossible for children to learn linguistic information solely from their environment . However , because children possess this LAD , they are in fact , able to learn language despite incomplete information from their environment . Their capacity to learn language is also attributed to the theory of universal grammar ( UG ) , which posits that a certain set of structural rules are innate to humans , independent of sensory experience . This view has dominated linguistic theory for over fifty years and remains highly influential , as witnessed by the number of articles in journals and books . </P>
<P> The nativist theory , proposed by Noam Chomsky , argues that language is a unique human accomplishment , and can be attributed to either `` millions of years of evolution '' or to `` principles of neural organization that may be even more deeply grounded in physical law '' . Chomsky says that all children have what is called an innate language acquisition device ( LAD ) . Theoretically , the LAD is an area of the brain that has a set of universal syntactic rules for all languages . This device provides children with the ability to make sense of knowledge and construct novel sentences with minimal external input and little experience . Chomsky 's claim is based upon the view that what children hear -- their linguistic input -- is insufficient to explain how they come to learn language . He argues that linguistic input from the environment is limited and full of errors . Therefore , nativists assume that it is impossible for children to learn linguistic information solely from their environment . However , because children possess this LAD , they are in fact , able to learn language despite incomplete information from their environment . Their capacity to learn language is also attributed to the theory of universal grammar ( UG ) , which posits that a certain set of structural rules are innate to humans , independent of sensory experience . This view has dominated linguistic theory for over fifty years and remains highly influential , as witnessed by the number of articles in journals and books . </P>
aspect / component of language that includes the structure and rules of language
aspect / component of language that includes the structure and rules of language
universal grammar
universal grammar