Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

Definition

Proposed by Noam Chomsky, the Language Acquisition Device is an innate mechanism or process that facilitates the learning of language. According to this theory, all humans are born with an inherent ability to understand grammar rules.

Theoretical Perspectives

The Language Acquisition Device (LAD) is a concept from Noam Chomsky's nativist theory, suggesting an innate biological mechanism for learning language. This contrasts with behaviorist and social interactionist perspectives on language development.

Study And Research Findings

Chomsky critiqued B.F. Skinner's behaviorist view with the poverty of the stimulus argument, asserting that children acquire complex grammar even with minimal input. Subsequent research has sought to identify neural correlates of this hypothetical device but its existence remains debated.

Related terms

Innate Theory: A theory suggesting that humans are biologically programmed to gain knowledge.

Universal Grammar: Chomsky's theory that all human languages share a common underlying structure.

Critical Period Hypothesis:

The idea that there is a certain window during childhood where second language acquisition skills are at their peak.