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A Review of "Chomsky’s Universal Grammar: An introduction" By Paul Prae The University of Georgia LING 2100 ShihJu Young April 13th, 2009 V. J. Cook presents many ideas, theories, and research to help us better understand the way children begin to master their language. He not only discusses the outside influences that the mind uses to construct all of the complex processes, but also mentions the possibilities involving the innate and intuitive items that may already be in the mind. Besides his own hypothesis, theories, concepts, principles, research, etc. he also uses those of Avram Noam Chomsky, Jerome Bruner, and dozens of others. He uses studies such as the Bristol study, the study of the Kahuli of the Papua New Guinea from around 1984, and those done by the many linguists, psychologists, and historians that Cook deems relevant. Textbooks, papers, and articles are also cited for gathering data and analysis such as: the "Introduction to the Theory of Grammar" by Henk Van Riemsdijk and Edwin Williams, C. L. Baker's 1979 paper on syntactic analysis, E. M. Gold's 1967 writing on cognitive learnability, quotations from Gleitman from 1984 involving differences in environments, Psychology and Language: An introduction into psycholinguistics by H. H. Clark and E. V. Clark, Roger Brown's "a First Language", and several more. The data, research, test subjects, specific experiments, and various specific approaches used to write this paper are vast and numerous. For this review, because of its two page limitation, I will restrict the content to Cook's findings and observations of those things I just mentioned. The paper begins by discussing how incredibly complex language is to learn. It suggests that there is something deeper, such as innate capabilities, that allows human beings to apprehend all aspects of language. To prove this, it is suggested that there are two states of mind, S0 and Ss. The first is the fresh mind of the child while the second is the steady state of the adult. To find what capabilities are innate we must discover what is not developed between those two stages. The concept of Universal Grammar seems to play an important role and is stated as an integral part of the state S0. Much of the structure and system for the way we speak is born with us while the values associated with the parameters of this system and the elements of the periphery are gathered through experience. Cook also discusses the ELanguage approach, I Language approach, and the Chomsky models as ways way deciphering the issue. All of which he deems as inadequate by themselves. Chomsky is noted as providing the most useful knowledge of the subject and Cook agrees with most of Chomsky's work. Many examples are provided to show how Chomsky's and all these other concepts are relevant. Examples of all sorts are present through the reading. Each narrating a specific concept. The next section deals with the methods we use towards language acquisition. It is divided into two categories: the positive evidence of what is allowed and the tools we use to know what is not allowed in the language. Chomsky divides language acquisition into three types: positive evidence, direct negative evidence, and indirect negative evidence. Cook then mentions how these are not

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A Review of "Chomsky’s Universal Grammar: An introduction"

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  • AReviewof"ChomskysUniversalGrammar:Anintroduction"

    ByPaulPraeTheUniversityofGeorgia

    LING2100ShihJuYoungApril13th,2009

    V.J.Cookpresentsmanyideas,theories,andresearchtohelpusbetterunderstandthewaychildrenbegintomastertheirlanguage.Henotonlydiscussestheoutsideinfluencesthatthemindusestoconstructallofthecomplexprocesses,butalsomentionsthepossibilitiesinvolvingtheinnateandintuitiveitemsthatmayalreadybeinthemind.Besideshisownhypothesis,theories,concepts,principles,research,etc.healsousesthoseofAvramNoamChomsky,JeromeBruner,anddozensofothers.HeusesstudiessuchastheBristolstudy,thestudyoftheKahuliofthePapuaNewGuineafromaround1984,andthosedonebythemanylinguists,psychologists,andhistoriansthatCookdeemsrelevant.Textbooks,papers,andarticlesarealsocitedforgatheringdataandanalysissuchas:the"IntroductiontotheTheoryofGrammar"byHenkVanRiemsdijkandEdwinWilliams,C.L.Baker's1979paperonsyntacticanalysis,E.M.Gold's1967writingoncognitivelearnability,quotationsfromGleitmanfrom1984involvingdifferencesinenvironments,PsychologyandLanguage:AnintroductionintopsycholinguisticsbyH.H.ClarkandE.V.Clark,RogerBrown's"aFirstLanguage",andseveralmore.Thedata,research,testsubjects,specificexperiments,andvariousspecificapproachesusedtowritethispaperarevastandnumerous.Forthisreview,becauseofitstwopagelimitation,IwillrestrictthecontenttoCook'sfindingsandobservationsofthosethingsIjustmentioned.

    Thepaperbeginsbydiscussinghowincrediblycomplexlanguageistolearn.Itsuggeststhatthereissomethingdeeper,suchasinnatecapabilities,thatallowshumanbeingstoapprehendallaspectsoflanguage.Toprovethis,itissuggestedthattherearetwostatesofmind,S0andSs.Thefirstisthefreshmindofthechildwhilethesecondisthesteadystateoftheadult.Tofindwhatcapabilitiesareinnatewemustdiscoverwhatisnotdevelopedbetweenthosetwostages.TheconceptofUniversalGrammarseemstoplayanimportantroleandisstatedasanintegralpartofthestateS0.Muchofthestructureandsystemforthewaywespeakisbornwithuswhilethevaluesassociatedwiththeparametersofthissystemandtheelementsoftheperipheryaregatheredthroughexperience.CookalsodiscussestheELanguageapproach,ILanguageapproach,andtheChomskymodelsaswayswaydecipheringtheissue.Allofwhichhedeemsasinadequatebythemselves.ChomskyisnotedasprovidingthemostusefulknowledgeofthesubjectandCookagreeswithmostofChomsky'swork.ManyexamplesareprovidedtoshowhowChomsky'sandalltheseotherconceptsarerelevant.Examplesofallsortsarepresentthroughthereading.Eachnarratingaspecificconcept.

    Thenextsectiondealswiththemethodsweusetowardslanguageacquisition.Itisdividedintotwocategories:thepositiveevidenceofwhatisallowedandthetoolsweusetoknowwhatisnotallowedinthelanguage.Chomskydivideslanguageacquisitionintothreetypes:positiveevidence,directnegativeevidence,andindirectnegativeevidence.Cookthenmentionshowthesearenot

  • adequateforacquisitionandthatatypeofexplanatoryevidencewithrequirementsofoccurrenceanduniformitymaybenecessary.

    Otherformsofacquisitionarepresentedandanalyzed.Imitationisshowntobeanimportantroleforchildren.Imitationiswherechildrenonlyusetheexactsentenceinformationtheyacquirethroughtheirenvironment.Thenextistheexplanatoryevidencethatisknowntocounteracttheinadequaciesofpositiveevidenceacquisition.Oneproblemisthatifachildisoldenoughtounderstandtheexplanationtheyarehardlyinneedofit.Theotheristhattheteachersofthelanguagetothechildrenhardlyhaveconsciousknowledgeoftheworkingsofthelanguageandwouldrarelyattempttoexplainitanyway.Theperpetualcorrectionofthechild'suseofthelanguageisalsoapossibility.ChomskyisstatedtomentionhowthechildmayhavecertainerrorsbutthatthegeneralrulesofUGarehardlybrokenandareinnoneedofcorrection.CookdeemsisunlikelythatUGcouldbelearnedthroughcorrection.

    Theproductionandcomprehensionofachild'slanguagearethoughttobedevelopedthroughmanydifferentpossibilities.Cookdeciphersalotofthesepossibilities,allofwhichcomefromtheenvironmentofthechild.Oneofthegreatestpartsofachild'senvironment,thatiscloselyintegratedwithlanguage,isthatofthesocialenvironmentandinteractionstherein.Theparentprovidesthemostofthesebywayofcorrection,imitation,andapproval.Itisalsothoughtthatthegeneralcognitivedevelopmentplaysapartinthelanguagelearningprocessaswell.CookdiscusseshowChomskydisagreeswiththisandhowmanyalternativestoinnatenessareinsufficient.ThefinalconclusiondrawnisthatUGisderivedfromthehumanmind.Themindisnotablankslatewhenitisbornintothelanguagebasedsocialenvironmentofthisworld.Themindisalreadysuitedwiththetoolsnecessaryforlanguageacquisitionandcommunication.WhenalanguageislearneditislearnedthroughtheuseofUG.Experienceprovidesthespecificsettingsandparametersofthelanguage.

    ThefactthattherequiredtoolsofUGforlearningalanguagearealreadyintactmakethemphysical.Cooktalksoftheseinnateabilitiesbeingpassedonthroughinheritancebygenetics.Itisalsothoughtthatthelanguage'organ'ofthebrainissomethinguniquetoonlyhumanbeings.Theparametersthatneedtobeenteredintotheseinnatestructuresofthehumanbrainthroughlifeexperiencesaredividedintothreelogicalpossibilities.Thesepossibilitiesarecreatedthroughtheconceptofswitchesasparameters.Thethreeare:aneutralswitchposition,anonprodrop,andaprodrop.Veryfewotherparametershavebeenentitledtosignificantresearchorthought.OneoftheseothersisthePrincipleBranchingDirection.Thisinvolveshowcertainthingsareconstructedinthelanguagelikerelativeclauseswithinphrases.

    ThisreadingcoversanincredibleamountofinformationsurroundingtheconceptofUG.ItissaidtowardstheendthatotherpossibilitiesofthebehaviorofUGarestillpossible.OnesimpleideaisthatUGcanmatureovertime.AlsothatmaybeUGisunavailableafteracertainage.NomattertheotherwaysUGisusedandperceived,Cookbelievesitexistsanddoesexistpriortoexperiencenonetheless.Becausegrammarissocomplexandfullofcountlessdynamics,itmustbeexplainedbysomesortofpriorexistenceandunderstandinginthemind.Thisanalysisofinformationsurroundinglanguageacquisitionseemsextremelyvaluabletowardsfirstlanguageacquisition.ThetheoriespresentedbehindUGareanimportantpartofcognitivelinguisticstudy.TheworkCookhaspresentedcanonlybeanassettostudentsoflinguisticsanddefinitelyprovidegroundworkformanymorestudiesrelatingtothesubject.Theonlynegativeaspectofitallisthatthereisstillsomuchthatcanberesearchedandstudiedintheareaoflanguageacquisition.Ihopeforresearchintheseareasto

  • continue.

    Bibliography

    Cook,V.J.1988.ChomskysUniversalGrammar:Anintroduction(Chapter3Firstlanguageacquisitionp.5585).Cambridge,MA:BasilBlackwell.


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