The Unifying Theory of Bootstrapping: The Collaboration of Multiple Language Acquisition Mechanisms
Abstract
Scientists have long been exploring the possibility of Universal Grammar (UG), a linguistic gene that engenders our language acquisition process. What UG may comprise is debated: if semantics is innate, or syntax, or some other linguistic aspects. Moreover, no definitive evidence has surfaced to attest to its existence. Therefore, a first-language acquisition process without the prerequisite of UG is called for. In this paper, we tear apart the incompatibilities among different language acquisition hypotheses and combine them into a theory in which language learning does not require UG. We contend that a unification of the current hypotheses (i.e., pragmatic, prosodic, semantic, and syntactic bootstrapping) is substantial for first-language acquisition, and that scientists should be wary of oversimplifying matters with UG.
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PDFDOI: https://doi.org/10.22158/eltls.v2n4p16
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