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QUESTION 1
1. Identify the four dominant theoretical perspectives of home language acquisition discussed in
Learning Unit 3 and, for each perspective:
1. Behaviourist Perspective
Key Theorist(s): B.F. Skinner (1957)
Primary Mechanism: Imitation and reinforcement.
According to Skinner, children acquire language through operant conditioning. They imitate the
speech sounds and words produced by caregivers (imitation), and correct, meaningful utterances are
reinforced through positive feedback (e.g., praise, attention) or the successful attainment of desired
objects. Incorrect utterances are not reinforced or are corrected, leading to their extinction. Thus, the
environment shapes linguistic behaviour step by step.
2. Nativist (Innatist) Perspective
Key Theorist(s): Noam Chomsky (1965)
Primary Mechanism: Innate ability (a Language Acquisition Device, or LAD).
Chomsky argued that the behaviourist model cannot explain the speed and uniformity of language
learning, nor the fact that children produce novel sentences they have never heard. He proposed that
humans are born with a specialised, innate neural module – the LAD – containing universal
grammatical principles. This innate ability enables children to deduce the rules of their specific
language from limited and imperfect input (the poverty of the stimulus) without explicit instruction.
3. Cognitive Developmental Perspective
Key Theorist(s): Jean Piaget (1926)
Primary Mechanism: Cognitive readiness (or cognitive development).
Piaget viewed language as one manifestation of a broader symbolic function that emerges as the
child’s general cognitive abilities mature. Language development depends on the child’s stage of
cognitive readiness – for example, the onset of object permanence and representational thought
during the sensorimotor period (roughly 18–24 months) allows the use of first words. Thus, language
is not a separate, innate faculty but rather a product of developing intelligence, including memory,
classification, and problem-solving skills. The child constructs linguistic knowledge through active
interaction with the physical environment.
QUESTION 1
1. Identify the four dominant theoretical perspectives of home language acquisition discussed in
Learning Unit 3 and, for each perspective:
1. Behaviourist Perspective
Key Theorist(s): B.F. Skinner (1957)
Primary Mechanism: Imitation and reinforcement.
According to Skinner, children acquire language through operant conditioning. They imitate the
speech sounds and words produced by caregivers (imitation), and correct, meaningful utterances are
reinforced through positive feedback (e.g., praise, attention) or the successful attainment of desired
objects. Incorrect utterances are not reinforced or are corrected, leading to their extinction. Thus, the
environment shapes linguistic behaviour step by step.
2. Nativist (Innatist) Perspective
Key Theorist(s): Noam Chomsky (1965)
Primary Mechanism: Innate ability (a Language Acquisition Device, or LAD).
Chomsky argued that the behaviourist model cannot explain the speed and uniformity of language
learning, nor the fact that children produce novel sentences they have never heard. He proposed that
humans are born with a specialised, innate neural module – the LAD – containing universal
grammatical principles. This innate ability enables children to deduce the rules of their specific
language from limited and imperfect input (the poverty of the stimulus) without explicit instruction.
3. Cognitive Developmental Perspective
Key Theorist(s): Jean Piaget (1926)
Primary Mechanism: Cognitive readiness (or cognitive development).
Piaget viewed language as one manifestation of a broader symbolic function that emerges as the
child’s general cognitive abilities mature. Language development depends on the child’s stage of
cognitive readiness – for example, the onset of object permanence and representational thought
during the sensorimotor period (roughly 18–24 months) allows the use of first words. Thus, language
is not a separate, innate faculty but rather a product of developing intelligence, including memory,
classification, and problem-solving skills. The child constructs linguistic knowledge through active
interaction with the physical environment.
