Which term is used to describe the innate language faculty that underlies all languages, proposed by Chomsky?

Which term is used to describe the innate language faculty that underlies all languages, proposed by Chomsky?

• A. Universal Grammar
• B. Poverty of Stimulus
• C. Comprehensible Input
• D. Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) vocabulary

Answer: (A)

Universal Grammar is the innate language faculty that underlies all languages, proposed by Chomsky. It refers to a built-in set of grammatical principles shared by all human languages, which guides how children acquire language. The reason this term fits is that it captures the idea that there are universal features of grammar that enable children to learn complex syntax from limited input, suggesting an innate blueprint rather than learning everything from experience alone. Related ideas, like Poverty of the Stimulus, point to why such an innate system seems necessary, arguing that the language input available to children isn’t rich enough by itself to account for their rapid and uniform grammatical development. The other terms refer to different concepts: comprehensible input comes from Krashen’s theory about acquiring language through understandable exposure, and BICS vocabulary concerns everyday social language rather than the universal grammatical framework.

Universal Grammar is the innate language faculty that underlies all languages, proposed by Chomsky. It refers to a built-in set of grammatical principles shared by all human languages, which guides how children acquire language. The reason this term fits is that it captures the idea that there are universal features of grammar that enable children to learn complex syntax from limited input, suggesting an innate blueprint rather than learning everything from experience alone. Related ideas, like Poverty of the Stimulus, point to why such an innate system seems necessary, arguing that the language input available to children isn’t rich enough by itself to account for their rapid and uniform grammatical development. The other terms refer to different concepts: comprehensible input comes from Krashen’s theory about acquiring language through understandable exposure, and BICS vocabulary concerns everyday social language rather than the universal grammatical framework.