Universal grammar
Those Universal grammar a theory is in that common grammatical principles follow, which are innate all humans.
Within the framework that Generativen transformational grammar one assumed thereby long time the universal grammar would only consist of a set of rules, which made it for children possible during the language acquisition on the basis them the available the linguistic input hypotheses over possible underlying grammars to sketch and evaluate (see also LANGUAGE Acquisition DEVICE). This aspect became however in the course of the development of the so-called Principles and parameter theory (Chomsky 1981) given up (see also Poverty OF the stimulus argument, Explanative adequateness), whose is essentially basic assumption that the same grammatical rules are the basis for all natural speeches; in the language acquisition so no more do not have to be learned a language at the basis the lying grammatical principles themselves (those are always and the knowledge over it are innate), it must only development certain linguistic parameter (z.B. Head roofridge versus Head read) to be recognized. In newer and newest syntax theories is beyond that usually assumed linguistic variation is completely limited to the encyclopedia - grammatical parameters concern thus only the characteristics of functional lexical elements, and language acquisition altogether can be reduced to encyclopedia acquisition (Chomsky 1995).
The term Universal grammar is not to confound with the so-called Universalienforschung. During the study of linguistic Universalien scientists examine the grammars of a multiplicity of different languages, in order to derive from it abstract verallgemeinerungen, often in the form "if for X apply, then Y happens."from it result a set of characteristics, of in the language the existing over the selected order of the words, up to the explanation, why children show a certain linguistic behavior.
Three are to be particularly emphasized: , Edward Sapir and Richard Montague.
Literature
- Chomsky, N: Lectures on Government and being thing. Foris; Dordrecht, 1981.
- Chomsky, N: The minimalist Program. WITH press; Cambridge, mA, 1995.
