15 month old baby girl answers

Mama's questions
 Universal
Grammar
(UG)
Luo Hanyu (Hannie)
10/06/2017
 CONTENTS

01 02 03 04
Background Theory Impact Practice
 01
Background
 Noam Chomsky (1928- )
The father of modern linguistics
One of founders of the field of cognitive science

MIT
Syntactic Structures
Harvard
Philadelphia, US
Universal
University of Pennsylvania Grammar
Born

1928 1945 1955 1957 1960

 Behaviorism VS Universal Grammar

B.F. Skinner VS Noam Chomsky

Children will never learn

Language acquisition
a language through
involves habit formation
response

Enough response; Children are born with

Positive or negative ability to acquire, develop
reinforcement and understand grammar

system or structure
of language
02
Theory
Universal Grammar (UG)

All human beings are born with abilities to

learn, develop, understand language and
grammar. Human inherits a universal set of
principles and parameters that control
language acquisition and language similarity.
 Principles Parameters
Determine the similarity of Determine the difference
languages. of languages.

e.g.: Noun Phrase + Verb Phrase e.g.: Different place of subject

Give me a book. (English)
I like him. English

(Cantonese)
(Cantonese)
03
Impact
 Impact via Instructional Model --- Merrills Principles

5. Integration 2. Activation
Integrate principles/ Innate ability in learning Inspiring and
Learning parameters and finally acquire languages and find engaging
outcome their new language universal principles/ students
parameters gradually

1. Task- Centered:
Language
4. Application Acquisition
Practice in 3. Demonstration
Course
listening, Apply their newly acquired Get a demonstration of the content and
speaking knowledge language to be learned presentation
Challenge
Some psychologists such as Jean Piaget
thought that language acquisition is related
to childrens cognitive development

Constructivist argued that language

acquisition has a more gradual developmental
process which relates to morphemes
04
Practice
Practice: Second Language Acquisition (SLA)
Practice: Learning via Duolingo

Choosing a Similar Finding

pronunciation parameters
Acquire a new language!
new language
as principle
 Reference:
A good Summary of Universal Grammar Theory:
summary
The End Ewa Dbrowska, What exactly is Universal
Grammar, and has anyone seen it?
Marc Ettlinger, What does the concept of Universal
Grammar mean?
Thank you for listening
Noam Chomskys Theory of Universal Grammar:
UG
Universal Grammar Overview: overview