Chomsky's Theory of Language Learning

Chomsky's Perspective of Language Learning

Noam Chomsky was a linguist who first came to fame when he took issue with the behavioristic notions of B.F. Skinner arguing that no theory of language learning could be practically based on operant conditioning principles; as Chomsky viewed it, parents simply did not go to such ends to correct their children's language (Chomsky, 1957). In delineating his perspective of language learning, Chomsky proposed several notions which have become something akin to "mainstays" of linguistic theory.

The first of Chomsky's notions is called the "language acquisition device" or LAD. LAD refers to a person's innate childhood ability to learn language. It is through the device that a child is said to unconsciously gather ideas about language rules. Through this generative neural capacity, children acquire rules for understanding and constructing their native language (Chomsky, 1957).

Chomsky offered an explanation of the nature of language in keeping with his interpretation of the processes by which children acquire it. Specifically, he pro

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he sorts of errors most likely to occur among learners of English as a second language and of the linguistic facts which underlay these errors; further, he felt that a complete understanding of transformation grammar would also facilitate teachers' insight into the way or ways in which the errors might be remedied. Whereas Frazer's approach to Chomsky's work is conceptual, some authors have taken a more empirical approach; these more empirical examinations have yielded mixed support for Chomsky's views in relation to foreign language learning. For example, to aid in the selection of rules to be included in an error analysis of Brazilian students learning English, an experiment was undertaken by Baptista (1984) in which she compared Chomsky's (1968) notions with those of Guierre's; the purpose was to discover which rules lead most frequently to the same stress assignment that native English speakers would give to unfamiliar words. Nonsense words were used to guarantee lack of familiarity. Based on findings it was concluded that only five of Chomsky rules (one rule coincided with one of Guierre's) were as consistently followed as Guierre's suffix rules. The principal factors causing nonrule stress placement were a different i
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