Key Concepts in Language Development and Chomsky's Theories

Language

A system of spoken, written, or signed words and the rules for combining them to communicate meaning.

Phonemes

The smallest distinctive sound units in a language.

Morphemes

The smallest units of meaning in a language; words or parts of words that carry meaning.

Grammar

A language's system of rules that enables communication, including rules for meaning and word order.

Semantics

The set of rules by which we derive meaning from words, sentences, and symbols.

Syntax

The rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences.

Universal Grammar (UG)

Noam Chomsky's idea that humans are born with an innate predisposition to learn the grammatical rules common to all languages.

Noam Chomsky

A linguist who proposed that language is inborn and that humans possess an innate capacity for acquiring grammar.

Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

Chomsky's proposed innate biological mechanism that enables humans to acquire language.

Receptive Language

The ability to understand spoken, written, or signed language.

Productive Language

The ability to produce spoken, written, or signed language.

Cooing Stage

An early stage of vocal development in which infants make vowel-like sounds; occurs before babbling.

Babbling Stage

Beginning around 4 months, infants spontaneously utter a variety of sounds not specific to any language.

One-Word Stage

Around 12 months, children speak mostly in single words that often represent entire ideas.

Two-Word Stage

Around 24 months, children begin speaking in two-word sentences.

Telegraphic Speech

Early speech that consists mostly of nouns and verbs, similar to the style of old telegrams.

Overgeneralization

Applying grammatical rules too broadly, such as saying 'tooths' instead of 'teeth.'

Critical Period (Language Acquisition)

An early developmental period during which exposure to language is necessary for normal language development.