Language: Learned or Innate?

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the arguments of those who believe that language is a biological ability and those who argue that it is an acquired skill or that the ability evolved over time. The paper concludes that although culture, environment and reinforcement have a large part in developing a person's ability to communicate, the ability itself would not come about without the initial presence of an innate ability to form speech and present ideas.

From the Paper:

"The issue of language ability being innate or learned is in essence, a special case of the nature vs. nurture debate. Some people believe that language is a biological ability, or a gift from God that is wired into our being. Others believe that it is an acquired skill or that the ability evolved over time. Nevertheless a fascination with this concept is nothing new, as the ability to communicate through the complex rules and regulations that define language is in essence human's unique gift. Interest on the ability to learn a language has existed since the fourth century, where Plato pondered upon the origin of words and their meanings (Bloomfield, 1933)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Clark, E. (2003). First Language Acquisition. Cambridge, U. K.:Cambridge University Press.Bloomfield, L. 1933. Language. New York: Henry Holt.
• Carrollton Veterinarian (N.D) Patient Education available online: http://www.allcreaturesonline.com/sub.php?page=bird_behavior
• Kolada, G (1992) Linguists Debate Study Classifying Language As Innate Human Skill. Available online at: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE7DA153CF932A3575AC0A964958260
• Pinker, S (1995) The language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Languages, Harper Perennial Modern Classics
• Seidenberg, M. 1986. "Evidence from great apes concerning the biological bases of language" Language learning and concept acquisition. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

More papers on Language: Learned or Innate?:

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• Term Paper # 95265 : "Language Acquisition"
• Descriptive Essay # 147964 : "Child Acquisition of Syntax"

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