Human Growth And Development Discussions
Topic: Language Acquisition
There are two major theoretical perspectives of language development, as described in Chapter 3 (see section on Biological and Environmental Influences).
1) Chomsky's "nativist" perspective
2) the behavioral "learning" perspective
You might find it useful to seek additional information about these perspectives before posting your response.
1. USING AN EXAMPLE, and IN YOUR OWN WORDS, briefly describe each of these two perspectives. HOW do we learn language according to each of these perspectives?
2. Which of these perspectives best explains how children might "make up" words like "swimmed" or "teached"? (And I don't mean just any made up words - I really mean words that are "wrong" in the way that words like "swimmed" or "goed" are "wrong".)
Be sure to tell us WHY the perspective you choose provides a better explanation.
3. Is one of these theoretical perspectives by itself sufficient to explain how people learn language? Provide evidence for your answer.
The response should include a reference list. Double-space, using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.