Noam Chomsky’s ideal Theory of Language Development

Noam Chomsky has given a new idea of how the human mind learns language:
Have you ever wondered how animals communicate with each other, despite not having a language like humans? Well, they also have their language – think of a dog’s bark, for instance. Language is essentially the ability to communicate with others. We think, write, speak, and communicate because we possess language. Language is a complex system of sounds and symbols, encompassing phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.

Theory of Language Development

Language and thinking are often considered interrelated concepts. Thinking is the process that creates language, while language is essential for thought processing. Both are distinct yet important aspects of our lives.

Noam Chomsky proposed that language is deeply rooted in culture; in other words, the diversity of language is closely tied to cultural diversity. By listening to someone, we can easily identify their cultural background and upbringing, as language reflects the culture and behavior of its speakers.

In 1959, Noam Chomsky analyzed B.F. Skinner’s book “Verbal Behaviour” and criticized his operant conditioning theory for describing language acquisition. Instead, Chomsky presented his own theory, known as the “psycholinguistic theory“.

Psycholinguistic Theory

Noam Chomsky’s Psycholinguistic Theory reveals that language acquisition is deeply rooted in our biology. According to Chomsky, every individual is born with an innate capacity to learn language, making communication an essential part of human nature.

Children are equipped with ‘neurological mechanisms’ that enable them to grasp language effortlessly that is known as “Language Acquisition Device” – a remarkable gift that facilitates language learning. This device empowers children to understand the fundamental structure of any language, laying the foundation for lifelong communication and gave two rules:

1. Surface Structure: When we read a sentence, we initially focus on its surface-level meaning, identifying nouns, verbs, and adjectives. For example, “Radha is wearing a beautiful dress.” Here, we recognize “Radha” as a noun, “wearing” as a verb, and “beautiful” as an adjective, without exploring the sentence’s deep meaning.
2. Deep Structure: In deep structure, we uncover the sentence’s underlying meaning, transitioning from surface structure to deep structure. This journey from words to meaning is the essence of language understanding.

Transformational Rules

So, how do we bridge the gap between deep and surface structure? Chomsky’s Transformational Rules provide the answer. These rules don’t simply break down sentences into smaller parts; instead, they transform and rearrange language structures in various ways, guiding us from deep meaning to surface-level structure.

Generative Transformational Grammar

Chomsky’s Theory is also known as Transformative-Generative Linguistic Theory. This theory states that the ability to speak and understand language is the result of a language system already existing within us. We possess abstract abilities that enable us to use grammatically correct language.

Often, we attempt to construct sentences we don’t fully understand, yet we try to make them correct without conscious grammar knowledge.

For example: Rohan, an 8-year-old boy, was doing his English homework, writing a paragraph on discipline. Although struggling with English, he formed sentences, re-read them, and made adjustments. The next day, when his teacher reviewed his homework, Rohan feared mistakes. However, his teacher praised him, “Good job! You made only minor errors.” Surprised, she asked, “How did you construct correct sentences?” Rohan replied, “My heart tells me this sentence feels right, and that one feels wrong.”

Transformational Grammar describes language broadly and enables us to make changes in sentences without changing their meanings. It has the following characteristics:

1. Many researchers believe that languages are interconnected as a system.
2. Language is mentalistic. Language is not just related to speaking or listening; instead, it is psychological, as we use our innate abilities to learn and use languages.
3. Language learning is an innate ability. Chomsky believed that humans are born with a Language Acquisition Device (LAD), which helps them learn language efficiently.
4. Language consists of external and internal structures. As previously discussed, there are two structures: surface structure and deep structure.
5. Language starts with sentences. We never teach our children individual words; instead, we teach them sentences, as we speak, because we want them to understand the meaning.
6. Language is creative: every culture, state, country, etc., has its own words, terms, and accents. Language is not fixed and can be changed by its users.
   

Criticism

• This theory blurs the line between learning a first language and a second language.
• The theory fails to account for mute individuals who are unable to speak.
• The theory is unsuccessful in describing how a child learns their native language.
• Some critics argue that there is insufficient evidence to test Chomsky’s theory.
• The theory neglects the importance of social contact, which is essential for language development.
• Critics don’t believe in universal grammar, every language is influenced by its unique cultural context, that’s why it is inapplicable across all languages.
• The theory also overlooks the variation in language usage and perspectives across different regions and contexts.
• Most significantly, critics argue that Chomsky’s theory is based on his assumptions, as he did not study real children, leading them to believe that the theory reflects Chomsky’s own thoughts rather than actual evidence.