BS English Applied Linguistics
Morphology and Syntax (ENG509)
Spring 2025
Assignment
Total Marks: 20
Q:-What is Universal Grammar? Explain how UG helps in language acquisition, especially
in children. Also provide one cross-linguistic example (i.e., from English and another
language) to illustrate how UG explains similarities or differences across languages.
1. Introduction to Universal Grammar:-
Universal Grammar is a theory proposed by Noam Chomsky, a renowned linguist, in the 1960s.
It refers to the innate set of grammatical principle and structures that the all humans are born
with. According to Noam Chomsky, the human brain has a biological blueprint for language,
which makes it possible for children to acquire language naturally and rapidly, even with limited
exposure.
Universal grammar suggests that while languages differ in vocabulary and specific rules, they all
share a common underlying structure, such as the presence of nouns, verbs, subjects, and objects,
or the way questions and negations are formed.
2. How universal grammar helps in language acquisition
(especially in children):-
Children around the world acquire language with remarkable speed, often mastering complex
grammatical structures by the age of 5 or 6, without formal teaching. This ability can be
explained by UG in the following ways:
Innate knowledge: Children are born with understanding of how languages work in
general. UG act as a mental template that helps them organize and interpret the language
input they receive.
Poverty of the stimulus: Despite the limited and imperfect input, children can generate
grammatically correct sentences they have never heard before. This shows they are not
merely copying but applying rules universal grammar rules.
Error patterns: children make predictable grammatical errors (e.g ‘’goad’’, instead of
‘’went’’), indicating they are applying rules rather than mimicking. These rules are part
of UG.
Speed of acquisition: children acquire language at roughly the same rate across cultures
and languages, supporting the idea that the process is guided by internal grammar rules
rather than solely environment.
3. Cross Linguistic Example:
(English and Japanese)
To illustrate UG, we can compare word order in English and Japanese:
English: subject-verb-object (SVO)
Example: ‘’she eats apples’’.
Japanese: subject- object-verb (SVO)
Example: ‘’kan ojo was ringo o tabemasu’’. (She apple eats).
Despite the difference in word order, both languages:
Have nouns and verbs.
Allow question formation.
Use pronouns, tense and modifiers.
These similarities support the idea that both languages operate within the framework of UG but
choose different ‘’settings’’ for certain parameters like word order. This is called Principles of
Parameters model, where principles are universal, and parameters are language-specific.
4. Conclusion:-
UG provides a powerful explanation for speed, the ease, and uniformity with which children
acquire language. By proposing that all human languages share a common structure, UG bridges
the gap between linguistics diversity and cognitive unity.
Cross linguistic examples, like the comparison between English and Japanese, show how UG
mainframes in different forms while maintaining fundamental similarities. Thus, UG remains a
key concept in understanding human language and cognition.
ENDED
