UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR (NOAM CHOMSKY)

Humans own an innate capacity to acquire L1 called by Chomsky as “language faculty”. It

explains why children can acquire languages heard from parents and surrounding without
learning them. Children understand grammar only by the limited and fragmented sources
around them. That all humans regardless their L1 have this ability is the underlying concept of
Universal Grammar.

PRINCIPLES AND PARAMETERS (1981) - RECONCEPTUALIZATION OF UG

Universal grammar is a set of principles that are the properties of all languages. The principles
contain parameters in limited choice of setting depending on the language involved. Children
are believed to have the innate ability to understand all principles and parameters
subconsciously. Chomsky proposed that UG is the reason why children never violate the
principles and never select wrong parameters.

LATER VERSIONS OF UG THEORY

There are just extremely general principles of UG and options to be selected

Vocabulary acquisition is more important because lexicon includes the parameters and
features of grammar and semantic meaning.

The initial state is the innate capacity or the language faculty, followed by input (child
grammar), and ends with final stage (adult grammar, native speaker).