Introduction
The debate of whether language is acquired through learning or due to innate biological factors has been a topic of discussion in psychology and linguistics for centuries. While some argue that language is an innate skill, others contend that it is learned through experiences. As for me, a child needs a combination of both, but learned experiences play a more critical role than innate factors.
The Debate on Language Acquisition: Learning vs. Innate Biological Factors
Although a child is born with an innate capacity for language, the biological basis for language acquisition is not a decisive factor in language development. According to Chater and Christiansen (2018), language acquisition can be viewed as a type of skill acquisition. Hence, biological adaptation is not the primary driver of language evolution.
Instead, the cultural evolution of linguistic structure occupies the leading position in this process. The dominant role of acquisition over innateness is further supported by Charles (2022), who states that children’s learning depends primarily on their level of involvement and responsibility in the process of language acquisition.
Hence, it is the child’s level of autonomy, not their innate biological factors, that ultimately affects how they learn a language. Finally, evidence from Newport et al.’s (2020) research can be used to support the value of learned experiences. Newport et al. (2020) note that children have “rich and specific” hypotheses for evaluating the linguistic data they perceive (p. 141). Therefore, rather than relying on innate factors, children take accountability for language acquisition.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, innate factors have some impact on a child’s language development. However, learning plays a more critical role than innate aspects. Depending on the environment, parents’ or caregivers’ influence, and the child’s cognitive abilities, some learn the language faster, and some more slowly. Specialists in the fields of linguistics and cognitive development still have a wide field of study in this regard.
References
Charles, M. (2022). Corpora and autonomous language learning. In R. R. Jablonkai & E. Csomay (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of corpora and English language teaching and learning (pp. 406-419). Routledge.
Chater, N., & Christiansen, M. H. (2018). Language acquisition as skill learning. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 21, 205-208. Web.
Newport, E. L., Gleitman, H., & Gleitman, L. R. (2020). Mother, I’d rather do it myself: Some effects and non-effects of maternal speech style. In G. Lidz (Ed.), Sentence first, arguments afterward: Essays in language and learning (pp. 141-177). Oxford University Press.