Linguistic Theory and Language Acquisition Facts: Reformulation, Maturation or Invariance of Binding Principles

Since the emergence of the Generative Standard Theory framework (cf. Chomsky 1965, 1981, 1986), language acquisition has been idealized as an instantaneous process resulting from the interaction of a small number of innately determined linguistic principles and the linguistic experience available to the child. According to this model, the new born baby is equiped with a set of computational mechanisms for manipulating structural representations that are ready to be used. Once the genetic device gets down to work, only certain adjustments, determined by the linguistic environment, are needed for the child to master the grammar of the language to which he is exposed. Under this approach, we expect children’s linguistic behavior to precociously conform to the Principles of Universal Grammar (henceforth UG) or at least, we expect the transition from the initial to the steady state of language acquisition to be rapid and error free. However, such a prediction is apparently at odds with certain facts which indicate that many aspects of the acquisition of language knowledge are sequentially ordered.

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