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Cognitivist/Nativism

Native speakers know how to speak their first language from deep in their being (Language Acquisition Device)

To learn L2 one draws from L1 (vital resource)

L1 is a resource, not a hindrance (unlike behaviorism)

When input is provided students will naturally acquire the language so it is okay for them to make errors.

There are natural boundaries on the possible grammar of any conceivable/practicable human language ("Universal Grammar")

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Nativism and Language Acquisition

Nativism suggests that infants are born with an innate ability to acquire language that is hardwired in human brains. The linguist Noam Chomsky, the most well-known nativist, argued that human brains contain a language acquisition device (LAD) that includes a universal grammar that underlies all human language (Chomsky, 1965, 1972). Chomsky proposed that children are born with knowledge of general grammatical rules so that with exposure, children are able to acquire language rapidly and with relative ease. The idea is that each of the many languages used around the world has the same underlying set of grammatical rules that are hardwired into human brains--a "universal grammar". Chomsky (1959) rebutted behaviorism's argument on several grounds. Chomsky argued that it was unlikely that parents were doing the slow and careful shaping of children's vocalizations that behaviorism proposed. According to Chomsky, language develops as long as the infant is exposed to it. No additional teaching, training, or reinforcement is required for language to develop.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Noam Chomsky. ([3])

1. All human languages share certain properties.

2. Children are exposed to different inputs yet still converge on the same grammar.

3. Children know things about language which they could not have learned from the input available to them. This is the most famous, and most powerful, argument for universal grammar.

4. Humans are the only species that has language.

5. Children learn language quickly and effortlessly, on minimal exposure.

6. All children acquiring language go through the same stages in the same order.

7. Different brain circuits are responsible for representing/processing linguistic and non-linguistic information.

There is general agreement among experts that babies are genetically programmed to learn language. In fact, fetuses have already begun their language acquisition journey while they are still in the womb (DeCasper & Spence, 1986; Ghio, Cara & Tettamanti, 2021; Moon, Lagercrantz & Kuhl, 2013)! Additionally, children are born ready to acquire any language they are exposed to, even languages of an entirely different modality (spoken modality versus a signed modality), such as a American Sign Language (Krentz & Corina, 2008; ​​Stone, Petitto & Bosworth, 2018). Neuroscience continues to document the innate brain mechanisms that support language acquisition in infants (Friederici, 2017; Friederici & Wartenburger, 2010; Kuhl, 2010; Perani, et al., 2011). Nevertheless, there is still debate about Chomsky's idea that there is a universal grammar that can account for all language learning. Evans and Levinson (2009) surveyed the world's languages and found that none of the presumed underlying features of the language acquisition device were entirely universal. In their search they found languages that did not have noun or verb phrases, that did not have tenses (e.g., past, present, future), and even some that did not have nouns or verbs at all, even though a basic assumption of a universal grammar is that all languages should share these features. Another limitation to the nativist theory is their lack of acknowledgement of the role of social interactions and cultural contexts in language acquisition. In summary, most experts agree that children are born primed to acquire language; however, the role of social interactions and the effect various contexts can have on the acquisition process is undeniable.

Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French (2019). Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective, Second Edition. CC by 4.0 http://dept.clcillinois.edu/psy/LifespanDevelopment.pdf

Sturdy, C. B., & Nicoladis, E. (2017). How much of language acquisition does operant conditioning explain?. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1918. CC by 4.0 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01918/full

Dąbrowska, E. (2015). What exactly is Universal Grammar, and has anyone seen it?. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 852. CC by 4.0 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00852/full

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Nativism suggests that infants are born with an innate ability to acquire language that is hardwired in human brains. The linguist Noam Chomsky, the most well-known nativist, argued that human brains contain a language acquisition device (LAD) that includes a universal grammar that underlies all human language (Chomsky, 1965, 1972).

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Noam Chomsky is known for his work in linguistics and his contribution to Cognitivism. Chomsky rejected B. F. Skinner's theory on behaviorism which is the idea that we learn language through behavior and that reinforcement and punishment affect the outcome of language learning.

Chomsky believed that our brains have a system or process that allows us to acquire language. He called this a Language Acquisition Device (LAD). Basically, a "black box" in our heads that contains innate knowledge of how to learn language.

According to this theory humans learn language cognitively and unconsciously. Because language acquisition is automatic the process isn't clear. His theory doesn't give many practical ideas to apply to teaching methods.

In the classroom students should be exposed to language naturally and errors would not need to be corrected. Students could at least be shown the underlying structures and rules of language and encouraged to create their own sentences.

This innate knowledge to learn language is unique to humans. The building blocks for grammatical systems are genetically programmed in us at birth. We will learn whatever language is spoken to us an become proficient at it.

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This one was easier to understand for me, so here I have some thoughts I wanted to share.

* When it says "The implication of this view for the classroom is that there is no need to "learn" language or to have errors corrected", I disagree with it because I know how important it is to be corrected, I have experienced that you may believe you are saying something right but then it's necessary to hear from an expert or native if you are actually right.

* Now, I totally agree with "the L1 as an important resource which the learner actively draws upon in developing their new language", because that's what happened to me when I was learning a 2nd, 3rd and now a 4th language. It's important to have a reference in your L1, so it can make sense for you.

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 Notes on Chomksy's Cognitivism, taken from in-person TESOL Class Discussion

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 Notes on Chomksy's Cognitivism, taken from in-person TESOL Class Discussion

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The basic premise of Cognivism is that we are born with an innate knowledge to learn language. Chomksy calls this area of our mind or being "The Language Learning Device." This relates to his observation that children can say things that they never heard before, so disagreeing with the (purely) Behavorist view. He also coined the term "Universal Grammar" , which he describes as the way that human can accurately pick up a language: as long as they are given input, such as listening to native speech, or( as I would add of my experience in an English class) reading much by persons who know well the target language. How this applies to the teachers is a little abstract. But one way whereby this theory may helpful is that students should be facilitated and cultivated, to create on their own and explore whatever input-source in the target language that they want, after they have received some basic training and tools in grammar and structures. A second useful takeaway of this theory, in brief, is that a students first language should not be seen as a hindrance to learning a new language, but should be championed, so that it be seen as great building blocks unto learning a new language, as well as a thing to be refined by learning a new language. Following is my opinion: Cognitivism is an extremely useful category of learning, by which we can better understand one facet holistically, of the multi-faceted learner. Therefore, use more than one facet at this topic.

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THEORY OF UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR
Chomsky believed that the ability to learn and use language is biologically part of a child’s brain from the moment they are born. Supposedly, he was the first person to firmly believe that human beings are not born with a blank slate, but instead come out of their mother's womb innately knowing some basic rules of language.

He used the acronym LAD to describe this concept. LAD stands for Language Acquisition Device and although it is not an actual structure in the human brain, his intent was to depict his belief that humans naturally have the ability to organize language grammatically even before they are formally taught complex grammatical rules; Chomsky argue that this is how children are able to learn language so quickly.

Some Key Points:
1) Humans are born knowing basic grammar rules(vocabulary is learned)
2)All languages have the same basic grammar structure concepts (nouns, verbs, adjectives)
3) Kids do not make some grammar mistake that would be expected if they were born with a blank slate

More information:
All babies go through the same stages of development regardless of what language they are learning (ie: they pick up words at approximately the same rate and stages even though not all languages do work the same)
-Babies are able to hear all of the sounds in all of the langauges
-10-12 months old- first words
-18 months they have about 50 words
-Age 2 they have about 500 words

Kids demonstrate with the way they use language that they know a lot about how it works at a very young age ad infants master language way faster than they should if they were completely blank slates.

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Acquiring language with my big Black Box!

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Acquiring language with my big Black Box!

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Noam Chompsky- cognitivism

Cognitive psychologists study the importance of meaning, knowing, and understanding in the learning process. Chompsky believed that we all have a black box inside (a pre-programming of sorts) that contained rules on language learning. He called this our "language Acquisition Device" or LAD-- which allows us to learn language (L1) cognitively and unconsciously.

Another idea he taught was Universal Grammar-- suggesting that we can learn a language with enough help (input)... So, giving a personal example, without having taken any classes, only listening to music in Spanish (my L2) I was able to pick up words and limited structure to build my initial foundation in Spanish acquisition as I moved to Mexico. The music was my "input" which helped me "pick up" Spanish after some time .

His book "Syntactic Structures" talked about grammatical rules, especially on word order, that are innately known, not taught, in our L1. For example, in English, we know that sentence order is: Subject + verb + adjective + indirect object. When a sentence is said out of that order, we innately know it is wrong as L1 english speakers, but we must learn how to explain it should we want to teach English.

The cognitivist believes we acquire language automatically, which is a great argument for living within the culture and community of our desired L2 for language acquisition. I agree with this as I learned my L2 (spanish) in a spanish speaking nation with only spanish speakers surrounding me. I've known this to be called the "Direct Method" for language learning. With the Direct Method, teachers commit to only speak the target language. In my case, my teachers began speaking only Spanish to us inside and outside the classroom, and continued in the language emersion for the entirety of our course. In my case, I took my spanish class in Mexico. The same would be true if the Direct Method was teaching the french language in France. In the case of my course in Boston, we are teaching English using English-only in our classroom.

Chomsky’s theory would back my growth, as I was ACQUIRING LANGUAGE automatically in the latin context. I had a rapid learning curve with many mistakes, but with any new growth, mistakes are expected. Behaviorists, such as Skinner, would disagree with the idea saying that my L1 would hinder my growth in my L2 with multiple errors. They may be right, as I made many mistakes based on my understanding of English. Cognitivists, like Chompsky, rather suggest that I did not make negative word "translation" into Spanish from my English language grid, but that I created an "inter-language" (a kind of unique Emily-version-creole of Spanish and English) which was the first step toward being independent and strong in my L2 Spanish. Cognitivists look at my growth toward Spanish very positively, which is something that I did not have when I was learning the L2.

In short, as a teacher, now, I should see my students' growth and their emergence of a unique inter-language as a great step toward English-language-independence. They are not weak, they are strong and growing and will be useful members of Winter Hill's English speaking community before they know it as we keep giving them more keys to their L2. They will grow scaffolding for grammar structure that will allow them to prosper in Boston.

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1. Noam Chomsky is a cognitive and linguistic scientist that believes language is a detailed rule-based system that is used unconsciously and cognitively. He believes babies are born with the innate ability to learn language through Language Acquisition Device (LAD).

2.  Chomsky argued that humans have a system (LAD) that allows us to understand and learn a language. He focuses more on this rather than reinforcement.

3. They discussed grammatical systems being more of a "feeling". We can sense when a sentence isn't correct grammatically even if the sentence itself is nonsense. I have found this true even in the Icelandic language. When it comes to cases, sometimes it can simply come down to a feeling. It's almost poetic in a way. Anyways, I found this part very interesting!

4. Language is acquired cognitively and unconsciously. It is an instinctive mental capacity that has helped infants. Children know the basic rules. It's as if it is hard wired in the brain.

5. Behaviorists find that L1 (first language) causes issues and errors within language learning, where as Cognitivists find it the opposite. L1 is a foundation we draw from and use as a language resource unintentionally and should be encouraged.

6. Chomsky view doesn't give advice or any practical ideas to help teachers, however; his view points out that language is less "learned" but is acquired naturally through exposure. But it's also good to keep in mind how different students are. Some would prefer to learn through this method of exposure, while others prefer repetition and correction.

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Implications of Chomsky's Theory for Teachers

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Implications of Chomsky's Theory for Teachers

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How would teaching be inspired responding to Chomsky's Theory?
Even though his theory doesn't give any clear instructions to teachers, there are certain conclusions for the classroom that can be drawn from it.

1. Language would mainly be learned through exposure.

2. At most teachers would be helping students to see the underlying structures in a language.

3. Teachers would be comfortable with students making errors. There would be no need for correction but rather further correct demonstration.

4. Cognitivists agree that the learners respective L1 is an important resource when it comes to learning an L2. Teachers would encourage their students to actively draw upon their L1 to further develope their new language.

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Language Learning as a Unique Type of Learning. Noam Chomsky

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Language Learning as a Unique Type of Learning. Noam Chomsky

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Response to B.F Skinners (1957) "Verbal Behaviour".

In 1959 Chomsky published a review of B.F Skinners "Verbal Behaviour", highlighting key aspects of language learning that can not be explained by Behaviourist's convictions. Aspects such as language learning without reinforcement or punishment, and the cognitive representation of abstract ideas.

The Essence of Language.

The cognitve representation of abstract ideas, which can not be explained by Skinners theory, describes language in its essence. We take arbitrary sounds and mentally asign them with specific meaning.
Inspired by these critical points, as well as observations of most children successfully mastering their L1, Chomsky formulated his theory of language acquisition.

Chomsky's Theory of Language Acquisition.

In his theory of language acquisition Chomsky supports the view that every human has the genetic potential to acquire language. In his work he calls this innate system, which sets us appart from other animals, Language Acquisition Device (LAD). According to Chompsky language learning happens through target language input activating the LAD through "distribution of sounds in phonology [...], combinations of morphemes in word formation [...] or lexical items of syntax [...]".  (Grimm, Meyer (2015), p.43) Ascribing humans the ability to organize the language we hear in various grammatical ways. In this way his theory suggests that language structure is hardwired as a kind of Universal Grammar (UG).

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Noam Chomsky

Cognitivism

Noam Chomsky is most associated with the idea of Cognitivism.

Chomsky entered the scene in 1959 with a paper arguing against Skinner's theory of behaviorism.

Chomsky argues that language acquisition does not follow the same principles of operant conditioning.

Language acquisition is not about repetition but is due to a device that all humans have called a Language Acquisition Device(LAD). This device refers to the system that the human brain has for learning a language that is not present in other animals.

He would argue that human brains are designed to learn language. They are designed to make sense of language and be able to learn it effectively and efficiently. By being simply exposed to language, humans have the ability to learn it.

Chomsky would further argue that this LAD is present in all humans regardless of their native language as long as they are not what he would describe as ‘sensory deprived’.

His studies continued to include what he would call ‘Universal Grammar’. He describes it as, “a limited set of constraints for organizing language”. This implies that all languages have a common structure(UG). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_grammar

He suggests that this UG is truly universal and that regardless of the language, a person knows which expressions are appropriate and those that are not based on their native language.

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Chomsky has a cognitivist view. This means that he believes that learning a language comes automatically without us aware of it happening.

A cognitive view sees the learners L1 as an important resource that as the learner learns a new language, they actively draw from their L1 to develop their new language.

Chomsky’s view rejects the view of B. F. Skinner. Chomsky argues that the use of a language isn’t supposed to be imitated behavior, instead it is created by the knowledge we already have of abstract rules wired within ourselves. Whereas Skinner believes that by forming a set of habits and through repetition will produce the development for the language.

Chomsky believes that every person was born with a Language Acquisition Device wired into our brains. This is the ability to organize a language we may hear into grammatical categories like verbs, nouns, and adjectives. Then form the structures needed to know languages.

Chomsky believes that everyone is able to access something called Universal Grammar. This describes the way that people can accurately pick up any language as long as they are able to listen to the speech of that particular language.

Chomsky also says there isn't a need to learn the language in a classroom setting and correcting errors that are made while trying to speak the language are not necessary either.

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Here are my notes from looking into Chomsky's Theory on language acquisition:

1959 – Noam Chomsky wrote a review/criticism of Skinner’s book on language

Chomsky’s Theory on Language:

o   Humans are born with a Language Acquisition Device (LAD) (aka: language organ): This is the genetic component to language faculty – that is, language is “hard-wired” into the brain (why our language is more complex than any other animal) à According to Chomsky this shouldn’t be controversial, the real question is “What is the LAD?” or to be more precise: “What is mankind’s universal grammar?”

o   Support 1 for LAD: Our brains are designed to learn language (you don’t learn math by just being exposed to it, but children do this with language)

o   Support 2 for LAD: The deep structures of language are always the same (no matter what language you speak)

o   Criticism 1 of LAD: people think in very different ways (not the same) based off their language

o   Criticism 2 of LAD: this theory has no transferable applications into the classroom for learning language, it is merely saying that we do not primarily learn language from behavioral reinforcement

o   Summary: The Human brain is pre-wired with some basic rules of language (not a clean slate / empty mind): this is why children learn language so quickly

1)    Every child knows basic grammar rules from birth

2)    All languages follow same grammar structure (ex: nouns, verbs, adjectives)

3)    Two supporting arguments: (1) Kids don’t make expected grammatical mistakes, and (2) Poverty of the stimulus – that is, children could not develop language from a truly “clean slate”

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noam chomsky on universal grammar and the genetics of language with captioning

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Cognitivism is a form of naturally acquiring language when someone is provided with input. The belief is that each person has an instinctual ability to learn language and communicate through both unconscious and cognitive processes. Chomsky uses the term Language Acquisition Device to refer to this natural ability to learn language. Universal Grammar is another term he created to reference the ability one has to learn a language when given input. The main point of this method is that each person has the ability to learn automatically. Chomsky does not see the L1 as a negative influence on the L2 but rather a source to increase understanding and a positive foundation to use when acquiring the L2. Chomsky wrote a book which addressed how sentences can be grammatically correct but have no meaning because the semantics are wrong. This demonstrated that we can feel a sentence is right is the order is correct even if it is meaningless but if it has poor grammar then it will feel wrong to the native speaker.

We can see how language learning in this model is reflected in an example of someone who is placed in a new environment and given good input which leads to their natural and innate ability to learn the L2 unconsciously then they may also use cognitive processing in order to make connections drawing from their experiences from their L1. I see this happening in my experience here in Bolivia where I had some formal training in Spanish before coming here but completing a DTS (Bible School) in Spanish caused me to automatically pick up many words that I didn’t know and I never remember studying but which I now use in a natural way. Sometimes, I hear myself use a phrase in Spanish that I never studied but I have heard so many times in its context that I use it unconsciously. Children have the ability to learn multiple languages at one time through natural acquisition.

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“Language Acquisition Device” - Key phrase

Overview:
- importance of meaning, knowing, learning & understanding of process
- intricate rule-based system
- belief that we just need someone to speak to us in any language to tap into/unlock this hard wiring in brain

Examples:
- showing of structures/rules then student is free to learn/explore in their own way
- simply exposure to language will have child develop language (unlike exposure to calculus)

Possible Strengths:
- no punishments
- every child Knows basic rules “hard wired” in brain

Possible Weaknesses:
- not many practical ideas given to teachers to apply methods
- not an active role for education as each person possess innate ability

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https://www.britannica.com/biography/Noam-Chomsky - I thought that this summary of his life helped me to understand as well.

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Chomsky assumed that a newborn baby's mind is a completely blank slate. He believed that the way a child learns language is simply a a response to the input they receive (linguistic stimuli). He believed that grammatical structures and the building blocks of all languages are built into the mind. He believed that language learning is a very social thing.
Another thing that Chomsky researched was the idea that the sounds of a language are set early on in a child's development. This explains why it is very uncommon for second language speakers to sound like a native speaker. (I just thought this was interesting :).

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Personal Experiences that fit Chomsky Theory

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Personal Experiences that fit Chomsky Theory

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1. Chomsky is a proponent of using language rules and let learners create sentences on their own. When I learn a new language the samples and repetition never have the words or thoughts that I want to communicate. His method would allow me to create from where I'm presently functioning rather than regurgitate phrases that would be used only occasionally.
2. Chomsky emphasizes meaning, knowing and understanding from input when acquiring language. As a child at church I learned about holding notes for certain counts and the melody going up or down with the notes ascending or descending on the staff by hearing others sing the words (input) and I focused on the hymnal page with no formal teacher.
3.Chomsky's theory supports Interlanguage and immersion in the culture. When learning Spanish I was immersed in the culture. At church I would hear, see and sing in Spanish the praise songs that I already knew in English. When scriptures were read in Spanish I would follow along in my Bilingual Bible and if I did not know a word I could quickly mark the English counterpart and go back later to look at it.

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I found this an interesting video giving me more understanding of Chomsky's Theory.

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I found this an interesting video giving me more understanding of Chomsky's Theory.

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Language Acquisition and Universal Grammar

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Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky is an American linguist. He is a cognitivist. Cognitivism is a thinking internal process. Cognitivism was a response to behaviorism. Chomsky's tenets for language acquisition-
*Universal Grammar-All languages contain similar structures and rules. Children everywhere acquire language(L1 First Language) the same way. They are born wired with basics already present in brains; this is labeled LAD Language Acquisition Device. Need someone to come and speak language to them.
*Emphasis is on meaning, knowing, and understanding in the learning process. Provide input.
*Rule based system-With rules acquired cognitively and unconsciously. Language acquisition happens automatically. Immersion in a culture for Target Language fits this construct.
*Errors-Be comfortable with errors. Target Language or L2  will be acquired with input being provided. L1 is positive and not interference to learning L2. Interlanguage describes a learner's emerging language independent of L1 and L2.
*Implications-No need to learn language and no need to have errors corrected, show student underlying rules and structures of language and encourage them to use rules to create sentences on their own. Step by step use their knowledge through experience and practice.

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I ended up finding this very interesting video. Even though it is not specifically defending Chomsky's theory, It talks a little bit about Krashen's and you can visibly see the differences on the learning process.

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How to Learn a Language: INPUT  (Why most methods don't work)

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Chomsky vs Skinner:

Skinner believes that language acquisition occurs through behaviour modification. Reinforcement and Punishment are applied into this learning process. For example: if you learn how to say a word correctly you will be encouraged or praised by the people around you. But if you learn how to say wrongly, you will be punished or ignored by the people around you (“No, you didn’t say this word correctly”).

Chomsky opposite than Skinner believes that language learning doesn’t follow the rules of learning by behaviour modification. And one of the reasons is because we have a LAD.

Skinner also believes that the habits a person obtained while learning a first language gets transferred when learning a second or third language, which cause errors in the acquisition of the subsequent language. He calls this errors as “negative transfer” between the languages. This idea is completely opposite to what Chomsky believes because he thinks the first language doesn’t have any interference in the subsequent languages.

Chomsky vs Krashen:

Krashen believes that an adult can learn a second language by: acquisition (subconsciously) and learning (consciously). Learning grammar for example should be a "learning" process, contrary to what Chomsky had stated, that we all have an universal grammar and we learn it unconsciously.

Krashen also believes that there is a natural order to learn grammar, for example, and we shouldn't force it on our students if they aren't ready yet.

Just like Chomsky believes babies should receive imputs, Khashen also believes in the importance of imputs. But we went further on that, and said on the importance of comprehensive imputs in the language learning/acquisition process. The comprehensive imput should be roughtly-tuned, containing language the student already know as well as language they have not previously seen.

Something that really caught my attention is that we should only encourage our students to monitor their language production on limited ocasions, like written activities or pre-planned speeches.

I also found very interesting that students need a "silent period" where teacher emphasies on listening and reading than on speaking and writing.

Also, if our students or teacher are not doing well emotionally, they will have a difficulty in learning because they create a "low affective filter". We are teachers should create an environment that promotes a low affective filter.

Chomsky vs Hymes and Halliday

The main thing about hymes theory is that language and culture are related, and they can't be separated.

Chomsky described grammar as an universal grammar. And Halliday described grammar as a systemic grammar. The ideas I most took off from this approach is that: texts are shaped by the social context in which they are used, and, the social context is shaped by people using the language.

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Humans have a language acquisition device (LAD). It is a term for referring to the idea that humans brains should have a system that allows us to acquire a language.

You can learn  the rules of a language unconsciously due to this LAD.

Leaning acquisition is different from the other types of learning. You not naturally acquire Calculus just by simply being exposed to it.

Language: window to the human mind.

There is a logical connection between verbs and nouns.

Language must be hard wired in the brain. There is a logical connection. The “language organ”, you are born with that. It always fits into the same structure.

Consequences: deep structures of the language are always the same, underneath them. Rise a lot of cultural differences. The languages you think produces in you a different way of thinking. For example, there are profound differences between tribal languages.

Language sets us apart from the animals.

Our brain is hardwired in a universal structure - universal grammar.

Most parents don’t teach language at all. The teaching is non essential to acquiring a language. It is very misleading to think to the languages as being learned if we carry with the notion learning the association. We are pre-programmed to learn a language.

Chomsky is defender of a theory called cognitivism. All cognitivists believe that the L1 (learner’s first language) is an important resource which the learner actively draws upon in developing their new language. They don’t believe their L1 is a source of interference.

Also, cognitivism teach us that we can be comfortable with our students making mistakes since they will naturally acquire the language as long as we provide with input.

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Cognitivism

Noam Chomsky is an American linguist and cognitive scientist.  Cognitive psychologists emphasize the importance of meaning, knowing and understanding in the learning process.  “They reject the behaviorist view by noticing that young children can say things that they have never heard before.”

Language Acquisition Device (LAD): A virtual “black box” hardwired in our brain that contains a set of common grammatical rules.  Language is an intricate rule-based system hardwired in our brain.  We all have an innate knowledge of how to learn languages.  There is a biological basis of universal grammar.

Universal Grammar (UG): A set of basic grammatical principles assumed to be fundamental to all natural languages.

-  Every child knows basic grammar rules.

All languages follow same grammar structure (UG); nouns, verbs, and adjectives.

Kids don’t make expected grammatical mistakes.  It is hard wired in their brains (LAD).  Picks up vocabulary from surroundings.

Assumptions:

All languages have sentences, clauses, phrases, words, and morphology.

Babies go through the same stages of development regardless of what language they are learning.

Kids know a whole lot about how language works at a really early age.

All languages contain nouns, verbs, and adjectives, and humans are born with an innate ability to acquire language, and even a genetic predisposition to learn grammatical rules.

Implications of Cognitivist view:

There is no need to “learn” language.

There is no need to correct errors.

Language is learned naturally through exposure.

If students are shown underlying structures and rules of language, they will use these rules to create sentences in new and creative ways.

See L1 as an important resource for developing the new language (L2).

Have a positive view of student’s first language.

Help them see L1 as something valuable, rather than weakness.

Don’t worry about errors.  Believe we will naturally acquire the language as long as we provide input.

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Noam Chomsky's Language Theory: Best explanation you will ever hear (UGC NET English)

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Notes on Chompsky's Theories Compared to the Other 3 Rooms

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Notes on Chompsky's Theories Compared to the Other 3 Rooms

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Skinner: Behaviourism, positive reinforcement and developing habits is the way to learn

With regards to Skinner’s theories, cognitivists disagree with behaviourists on the idea that whatever language you learn first will influence how you learn other languages. That the L1 language is a resource the learner draws from but not an interference. Behaviourism also talks much on positive reinforcement being the key rather than natural inherent ability, which Chomsky speaks on specifically.

Krashen: Predictable Acquisition, best to listen to a level above were the learner is at

With regards to Krashen’s theories, cognitivists would inherently agree with Krashen’s theories that to learn best is to acquire it naturally through listening to native speakers whether that’s your own as you’re learning your L1, or others after in your L2s. Krashen’s theories also about how there’s a set order you learn things as you learn languages when you learn it naturally isn’t something Chomsky touched on specifically (that I found from my research), but I believe we can extrapolate that they don’t disagree or contradict one another too much in this area.

Hymen & Halliday: Social Interaction is key, broader culture context heavily influences, language is a resource to create meaning.

With regards to Hymen & Halliday’s theories, cognitivists also see social interaction as important - if we learn languages naturally we learn it naturally via the languages we hear around us from the people around us! H&H work a bit in their own branch too in that they see language more as a branch to more whereas the other 3 theorists more talk about language as a means to an end and in and about itself. So perhaps the other 3 theorists are easier to compare to one another.

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He believed language is not a form of behaviour but an intricate rule-based system. How when we learn our first language, it is acquired unconsciously because of what he named Language Acquisition Device (LAD). He also founded another idea called Universal Grammar (UG) which describes the way people can accurately pick up any language so long as they are given input, and are able to listen to the target language’s speech.

LAD & UG

One of the ideas it’s built on is that babies go through the same stages in development no matter what language they’re learning. Babbling kids from any and all languages make the same sounds despite different languages having different phonetics. Kids also learn languages at about the same rate.

Also children learn languages incredibly fast if taught multiple languages while young.

A Cognitivist view claims that language acquisition occurs automatically. That language is learned naturally and is biologically hardwired into us, gaining us improvement best through general exposure. This is a theory for a rule for learning ANY language.

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Chomsky’s belief in language acquisition is that humans are capable of birth to be able to start learning a language naturally through exposer and immersion. His language theory contradicts behaviorist  Skinner, who believed that language was learned through observations, association, reinforcement, and imitations
Although Chomsky’s theory has gone under a lot of research and experiments, it is a theory that does not give teachers many practical ideas for how to apply to their teachings. He claims that naturally through immersion we will be able to piece together what we need to be able to communicate with others. He claims are one continues to immerse themselves they will be able to use rules of language and create sentences through experience and practice.
I believe both Chomsky’s and skinners' theories are interesting and valid, as someone who’s L1 is not English and is learning a third language, learning a language is a mixture of immersion, trial, and error as well as structured lessons and imitations. Towards the end of the language Crash Course video, the narrator says “…research and studies of other species have given us a sense that at least some of (language acquisition) is innate, while the role of learning and exposer is ALSO important”,  and I agree with that statement. The ways to learn a language are not set in stone, but what we receive from learning another language worth investing in.

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Noam Chomsky is the father of modern cognitivist beliefs. Though his ideas were only a starting point for current viewpoints, he laid a foundation for Second Language Acquisition that revolutionized mindsets. In Chomsky's opinion, it was not just enough to regurgitate words, but rather to understand the meaning behind them and to know their structure.

Aside from just understanding meaning, Chomsky had some theories about language acquisition that can essentially be summed up in the phrase: "Everyone can acquire." In his suggestion of the Language Acquisition Device, Chomsky theorized that everyone was born with an innate ability to learn a language. When learning a subsequent language (whether it be second, third, or so on), Chomsky used the term Universal Grammar to refer to humans' ability to accurately learn new languages when they receive the right input - or speech from a target language.

In other words, Chomsky argues that we are all ready to learn new languages accurately. It is through continued exposure, not frequent correction of errors, that will ultimately lead to Second Language Acquisition. We just need people to come alongside us to help activate that understanding through communicating with us!