Noam Chomsky, the founder of modern structural linguistics, is best known for his theory of universal grammar, which can also be connected to my research study. Chomsky’s theory is that children are born with internal and universal rules for grammar, which are ultimately applied to the language that is spoken in their surroundings. The theory of universal grammar explains that children are capable of learning, and eventually fluently speaking a language, because of inborn structures of language in their brain. Chomsky’s theory connects to my research study because throughout my social experiment, I realized that very young children were responding to my greeting, when I in fact directed it at their parents. This confused me at first because I wondered if the children actually understood what I was saying, or they were just imitating their parents response. However, Chomsky’s theory proves that children, as young as toddlers, can indeed understand and give meaning to the words and language that I was speaking, while I was greeting.
To learn more about Noam Chomsky’s Universal Grammar Theory, please click here.
The Power of Communication 