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Total Categories: 5
Universal Grammar (UG) proposes that humans are born with a biological language faculty containing inherent constraints on possible grammatical structures.
Answer: True
This statement accurately reflects the foundational premise of Universal Grammar theory, which posits an innate linguistic endowment.
Noam Chomsky is the linguist primarily associated with the development of the Universal Grammar theory.
Answer: True
Noam Chomsky is widely recognized as the principal architect and proponent of the theory of Universal Grammar.
Generative grammar research seeks to explain language-specific phenomena by deriving them from broader, universal principles, rather than focusing solely on language-specific features.
Answer: True
This approach aligns with the goals of generative grammar, which aims to uncover underlying universal structures and principles governing language.
Universal Grammar is conceptualized as comprising the innate, domain-specific features of linguistic competence. These features represent specialized cognitive mechanisms or constraints dedicated to language processing and acquisition.
Answer: True
This statement accurately defines the role of domain-specific features within the framework of Universal Grammar.
Linguistic stimuli denote the language input children acquire from their environment. Universal Grammar theory posits that these stimuli interact with innate constraints to direct the child's acquisition of specific syntactic rules.
Answer: True
This clarifies the role of environmental input (linguistic stimuli) in conjunction with innate UG principles during language acquisition.
The language faculty represents the innate biological capacity enabling human language acquisition and use. Universal Grammar is theorized to be the specific, innate component of this faculty, delineating the principles and constraints common to all human languages.
Answer: True
This statement accurately defines the relationship between the broader language faculty and the specific construct of Universal Grammar.
What is the central tenet of Universal Grammar (UG) theory regarding human language ability?
Answer: Humans possess an innate biological faculty with built-in constraints on grammar.
The core principle of Universal Grammar is the postulation of an innate, biologically endowed language faculty that guides grammatical development.
Who is most prominently recognized for developing the theory of Universal Grammar?
Answer: Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky is the linguist most widely credited with formulating and advancing the theory of Universal Grammar.
What is the primary goal of generative grammar research concerning universal principles, as motivated by Universal Grammar?
Answer: To derive language facts from general principles, minimizing language-specific rules.
Generative grammar research aims to explain linguistic phenomena through overarching principles, reducing the need for language-specific stipulations, driven by the concept of Universal Grammar.
Modism was a grammatical theory developed in Western Europe during the late Middle Ages (specifically, the 13th century).
Answer: True
Modism emerged as a significant grammatical theory within the scholastic tradition of the 13th century.
Roger Bacon speculated about a 'quasi-universal nature' of grammatical categories across languages.
Answer: True
Roger Bacon's linguistic inquiries included observations on the potential for universal grammatical categories.
Claude Lancelot and Antoine Arnauld concluded that grammar is entirely arbitrary and lacks any universal quality.
Answer: False
Their work, 'Grammaire générale et raisonnée,' explored the idea of a generalized grammar and concluded that grammar possesses a universal quality.
Adam Smith was a member of the 18th-century Scottish school of universal grammarians.
Answer: True
Adam Smith, along with other prominent thinkers, was part of the influential 18th-century Scottish Enlightenment movement focused on universal grammar.
Wolfram Hinzen endeavors to reassert the epistemological significance of grammar and systematically addresses principal objections leveled against Cartesian universal grammar, encompassing its coherence, evolutionary plausibility, and the challenge posed by linguistic variation.
Answer: True
Hinzen's work aims to defend and clarify Cartesian universal grammar against contemporary criticisms.
The 'Grammaire générale et raisonnée' concluded that grammar possesses a universal quality applicable across languages.
Answer: True
This influential work by Lancelot and Arnauld posited a universal foundation for grammar.
Wilhelm Wundt and Otto Jespersen argued that earlier universal grammar theories were overly focused on Latin and neglected the actual diversity of languages worldwide.
Answer: True
Their critique highlighted the limitations of earlier universalist approaches due to their limited linguistic scope.
Modistae were scholars associated with a 13th-century theory of grammar originating in Western Europe.
Answer: True
The term 'Modistae' refers to the proponents of 'modism,' a significant grammatical theory of the 13th century.
Which historical period saw the development of grammatical theories like 'modism' in Western Europe?
Answer: Between 1100 and 1400
Modism emerged as a significant grammatical theory during the Middle Ages, specifically within the 13th century.
How did Claude Lancelot and Antoine Arnauld contribute to the concept of universal grammar?
Answer: Their work suggested that grammar possesses a universal quality applicable across languages.
In their 'Grammaire générale et raisonnée,' Lancelot and Arnauld explored the idea of a generalized grammar and concluded that grammar exhibits universal characteristics.
What did Roger Bacon speculate about grammatical categories?
Answer: They possess a 'quasi-universal nature' across languages.
Roger Bacon speculated that grammatical categories might exhibit a 'quasi-universal nature,' suggesting underlying commonalities across languages.
The 'poverty of the stimulus' argument suggests that the linguistic data children encounter is insufficient on its own to explain their rapid and complex language acquisition.
Answer: True
This argument is a cornerstone in the defense of Universal Grammar, highlighting the gap between limited input and acquired linguistic competence.
The 'poverty of the stimulus' argument, using English yes-no question formation as an example, suggests children understand that grammatical rules operate on hierarchical structures, not just linear sequences.
Answer: True
This specific example illustrates how children's acquisition of question formation implies an innate grasp of syntactic hierarchy, a key point in the poverty of the stimulus argument.
Derek Bickerton's language bioprogram theory uses the development of pidgin languages as evidence for Universal Grammar.
Answer: False
Bickerton's theory primarily uses the development of *creole* languages, not pidgins, as evidence for an innate bioprogram guiding grammatical structure.
Creole languages often use intonation changes exclusively to form questions, regardless of word order.
Answer: False
While intonation can play a role, Bickerton's observations suggest creole languages often form questions by changing intonation *rather than* word order, not exclusively by intonation alone.
Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) have been used to test the poverty of the stimulus argument, particularly regarding hierarchical generalization.
Answer: True
Computational models, including RNNs, have been employed to investigate whether statistical learning mechanisms can account for phenomena previously attributed solely to innate structures, as in the poverty of the stimulus argument.
The language bioprogram theory suggests creole languages form based on an innate program guiding grammatical development.
Answer: True
This theory posits an innate 'bioprogram' that guides children in developing complex grammar when exposed to simplified input, as seen in creole formation.
The concept of hierarchical structure is central to arguments supporting Universal Grammar, such as the poverty of the stimulus.
Answer: True
Arguments like the poverty of the stimulus rely heavily on the notion that children innately understand grammatical hierarchies.
The Poverty of the Stimulus (POS) argument is critical as it posits that the linguistic input available to children is insufficient and often imperfect to fully account for the complex grammatical knowledge they acquire. This perceived gap implies the necessity of innate, universal principles guiding language acquisition.
Answer: True
This statement accurately summarizes the significance and core logic of the POS argument in relation to Universal Grammar.
The 'poverty of the stimulus' argument supports Universal Grammar by claiming that:
Answer: The linguistic input children receive is insufficient to explain the complexity of the language they acquire.
The poverty of the stimulus argument posits that the limited and imperfect linguistic data available to children cannot solely account for their rapid and sophisticated language acquisition, thus implying innate knowledge.
Derek Bickerton's language bioprogram theory uses which phenomenon as evidence for Universal Grammar?
Answer: The shared grammatical features found in creole languages.
Bickerton's theory posits that the common grammatical structures observed across diverse creole languages provide evidence for an innate, universal language bioprogram.
The 'poverty of the stimulus' argument, using English yes-no question formation as an example, suggests children understand:
Answer: Grammar rules operate on hierarchical structures, not just linear sequences.
This example illustrates that children's ability to form correct yes-no questions implies an innate understanding of hierarchical syntactic structures, beyond simple linear ordering.
Which of the following is NOT typically cited as a grammatical feature of creole languages supporting Bickerton's bioprogram theory?
Answer: Forming questions primarily by changing word order.
Bickerton noted that creole languages often form questions using intonation or other means, rather than primarily by changing word order, which contrasts with some other languages.
Universal Grammar theory posits that children learn language solely by imitating the linguistic input they receive.
Answer: False
Universal Grammar theory fundamentally contrasts with the idea that language is learned solely through imitation; it posits an innate faculty that guides acquisition beyond mere input.
The diversity of languages across the globe is often cited as definitive proof supporting the existence of Universal Grammar.
Answer: False
While proponents argue UG explains underlying similarities, the vast diversity of languages is often presented by critics as evidence against a rigidly defined, universal grammar.
The theory of Universal Grammar is universally accepted without any debate among linguists today.
Answer: False
The theory of Universal Grammar remains a subject of significant academic discussion and debate within the field of linguistics.
Wilhelm Wundt and Otto Jespersen argued that earlier universal grammar theories were overly focused on Latin and neglected the actual diversity of languages worldwide.
Answer: True
These linguists critiqued earlier universalist approaches for their Eurocentric bias and proposed a more empirically grounded view of linguistic universals.
Behaviorism posits that language acquisition is primarily driven by external factors such as imitation and reinforcement, rather than innate linguistic structures and principles.
Answer: True
This statement accurately contrasts the behaviorist view of language acquisition with the core tenets of Universal Grammar.
Hudson-Kam and Newport hypothesized that children learning creoles systematize the language based on the probability and frequency of forms they hear, rather than an innate universal grammar.
Answer: True
This reflects their alternative explanation for creole similarities, emphasizing statistical learning from input.
Relexification refers to a language developing new grammatical rules independent of any other language.
Answer: False
Relexification involves replacing a language's lexicon with that of another language while retaining its grammatical structure, a concept debated in relation to UG.
Geoffrey Pullum argues that the poverty of the stimulus arguments provide strong, empirically verified evidence for Universal Grammar.
Answer: False
Geoffrey Pullum and others have critically examined the empirical basis and validity of poverty of the stimulus arguments concerning Universal Grammar.
Michael Ramscar suggests that children correct grammatical errors primarily through explicit instruction on abstract rules.
Answer: False
Ramscar proposes that children correct errors through implicit negative feedback derived from repeated failures in communication, rather than explicit rule instruction.
The distributional hypothesis suggests language learners rely on identifying probabilistic patterns of word usage.
Answer: True
This hypothesis posits that learners extract grammatical information by observing the statistical distribution of words and phrases in the input.
Neurogeneticists Fisher and Vernes believe a single gene mutation is responsible for the human capacity for language.
Answer: False
Fisher and Vernes suggest that the idea of a single gene mutation causing language is overly simplistic, emphasizing a complex interplay of genes and cognition.
Geoffrey Sampson argues that Universal Grammar theories are not falsifiable and are therefore pseudoscientific.
Answer: True
Sampson's critique centers on the lack of empirical testability and falsifiability of many Universal Grammar claims.
Daniel Everett claims that the Pirahã language is a counterexample to Universal Grammar because it allegedly lacks clausal embedding.
Answer: True
Everett's research on the Pirahã language, particularly its purported lack of clausal embedding, has been presented as a challenge to Universal Grammar.
Nevils et al. disagreed with Daniel Everett, arguing that the Pirahã language's structure does not pose a significant challenge to current Universal Grammar theories.
Answer: True
Nevils et al. contested Everett's findings and conclusions, asserting that the Pirahã language does not fundamentally challenge Universal Grammar.
Christiansen and Chater argue that a biologically determined UG is not evolutionarily viable because language changes much faster than genetic evolution.
Answer: True
Their argument posits that the rapid evolution of language outpaces genetic evolution, making a fixed, innate UG unlikely from an evolutionary perspective.
Norbert Hornstein criticized Christiansen and Chater, suggesting they misunderstand generative grammar theory.
Answer: True
Hornstein's critique suggests that Christiansen and Chater's arguments against UG are based on a misinterpretation of generative linguistic principles.
Nicholas Evans and Stephen C. Levinson characterize Chomsky's Universal Grammar not as a collection of empirically established language universals, but rather as a conceptual framework or 'programmatic label' for the innate component children possess for language acquisition.
Answer: True
This accurately reflects Evans and Levinson's view that UG is more of a research program than a set of definitive findings about language universals.
Geoffrey Sampson argues that humans do not possess innate language structures and views Universal Grammar theories as unfalsifiable and pseudoscientific.
Answer: True
Sampson contends that Universal Grammar lacks empirical grounding and falsifiability, proposing instead that humans are general learners.
Behaviorism explained language acquisition through external factors like imitation and reinforcement, contrasting with innate cognitive structures and universal grammar principles.
Answer: True
This statement correctly distinguishes the behaviorist approach from nativist theories like Universal Grammar.
What criticism did Wundt and Jespersen level against earlier theories of universal grammar?
Answer: They neglected the actual diversity of languages by overemphasizing Latin.
Wundt and Jespersen argued that earlier universal grammar theories were excessively centered on Latin, failing to account for the broad spectrum of global linguistic structures.
Which perspective proposed that language acquisition occurs through imitation, trial, error, and reward?
Answer: Behaviorism
Behaviorism posited that language learning is a process of habit formation driven by external stimuli, reinforcement, and imitation.
Which of the following is a key criticism Geoffrey Sampson leveled against Universal Grammar theories?
Answer: They are not falsifiable and are therefore pseudoscientific.
Sampson's central critique is that Universal Grammar theories lack falsifiability, positioning them outside the realm of empirical science.
Daniel Everett's claim about the Pirahã language suggests it lacks which feature, challenging Universal Grammar?
Answer: Clausal embedding
Everett's research posits that the Pirahã language lacks clausal embedding, a feature often considered fundamental in Universal Grammar.
How do Morten H. Christiansen and Nick Chater argue against the evolutionary viability of Universal Grammar?
Answer: They contend that language changes too rapidly for a fixed, biologically determined UG.
Their argument posits that the rapid pace of language change relative to genetic evolution undermines the evolutionary viability of a fixed, innate Universal Grammar.
What alternative explanation do Hudson-Kam and Newport offer for similarities in creole languages?
Answer: Children standardizing the input based on probability and frequency.
Hudson-Kam and Newport proposed that children learning creoles systematize the language by focusing on the most probable and frequent forms in the input, rather than relying solely on an innate grammar.
The 'distributional hypothesis' suggests language learners primarily identify:
Answer: Probabilistic patterns in word usage.
The distributional hypothesis posits that learners infer grammatical knowledge by observing the statistical patterns and contexts in which words appear.
What is the main point of contention between Geoffrey Sampson and proponents of Universal Grammar?
Answer: The falsifiability and scientific status of UG theories.
Sampson's primary critique is that Universal Grammar theories are unfalsifiable and thus lack scientific rigor.
What was the conclusion of Nevins et al. regarding Daniel Everett's claims about the Pirahã language and its implications for Universal Grammar?
Answer: They argued Pirahã has clausal embedding and doesn't invalidate UG theories.
Nevins et al. contended that the Pirahã language does exhibit clausal embedding and that its structure does not fundamentally challenge existing Universal Grammar theories.
Hagit Borer proposed that the fundamental syntactic operations of language are universal, and that all variation observed across languages arises from differences in the feature-specifications within the mental lexicon.
Answer: True
This accurately describes Borer's hypothesis regarding the source of linguistic variation within a universal syntactic framework.
Optimality Theory suggests that language variation arises from differences in the *ranking* of universal constraints on grammar, not necessarily from differences in the fundamental constraints themselves.
Answer: True
This statement correctly outlines how Optimality Theory accounts for cross-linguistic variation through the hierarchical ordering of universal constraints.
In their 2002 paper, Noam Chomsky, Marc Hauser, and W. Tecumseh Fitch suggested that universal grammar might consist solely of the capacity for hierarchical phrase structure.
Answer: True
This proposal narrowed the focus of Universal Grammar to the computational mechanism of hierarchical structure.
The hypothesis proposed by Hauser, Chomsky, and Fitch suggests that only the computational mechanism of recursion is uniquely human within the language faculty.
Answer: True
This hypothesis distinguishes the 'faculty of language in the narrow sense' (FLn) by identifying recursion as its uniquely human computational core.
James Hurford views the Language Acquisition Device (LAD) as the phenomenon to be explained (explanandum) in language evolution, rather than the explanation itself (explanans).
Answer: True
Hurford conceptualizes the LAD as the outcome of evolutionary processes (explanandum), driven by factors like mutations and functional pressures (explanans).
The 'Strong Minimalist Thesis' (SMT) posits that Universal Grammar is based on complex computational principles requiring significant processing overhead.
Answer: False
The SMT proposes that Universal Grammar is reducible to the simplest, most computationally efficient principles, minimizing processing overhead.
Within the Strong Minimalist Thesis, 'merge' is defined as a fundamental operation that takes two existing objects and constructs a new set containing them.
Answer: True
The operation 'merge' is central to the SMT and is defined as a basic set-formation operation.
The 'faculty of language in the broad sense' (FLb) refers to the aspects of language that might be shared with animal communication systems.
Answer: True
FLb encompasses potentially homologous features between human language and animal communication, distinguishing it from uniquely human capacities.
The 'faculty of language in the narrow sense' (FLn) is proposed to encompass only the uniquely human aspects of language, distinct from abilities shared with animals.
Answer: True
FLn is defined as the uniquely human component of the language faculty, often identified with recursion.
Recursion, the ability to embed linguistic structures within similar structures, is considered the core computational mechanism unique to humans in language by Chomsky, Hauser, and Fitch.
Answer: True
This hypothesis identifies recursion as the defining, uniquely human computational feature of the language faculty.
According to Chomsky, Hauser, and Fitch's 2002 proposal, what might be the core component of Universal Grammar?
Answer: The capacity for hierarchical phrase structure.
Their proposal suggested that the uniquely human aspect of language, potentially constituting the core of Universal Grammar, is the capacity for hierarchical phrase structure.
What is Hagit Borer's hypothesis regarding variation in language?
Answer: Variation stems from differences in the mental lexicon's feature-specifications.
Borer hypothesizes that universal syntactic operations are constant, with variation arising from differences in the feature specifications within the lexicon.
The 'faculty of language in the narrow sense' (FLn), according to Hauser, Chomsky, and Fitch, is primarily characterized by:
Answer: The computational mechanism of recursion.
Hauser, Chomsky, and Fitch identified recursion as the core computational element distinguishing the uniquely human faculty of language in the narrow sense (FLn).
How does Optimality Theory, in some formulations, account for variation across languages?
Answer: Through variations in the ranking of universal constraints.
Optimality Theory proposes that universal constraints exist, but language variation arises from the different hierarchical rankings assigned to these constraints.
What is the central focus of the 'Strong Minimalist Thesis' (SMT) proposed by Chomsky and Berwick?
Answer: Reducing Universal Grammar to the simplest, most efficient computational principles, like 'merge'.
The SMT aims to simplify Universal Grammar to its most basic, computationally efficient operations, primarily focusing on the principle of 'merge'.
According to Hauser, Chomsky, and Fitch, what primarily distinguishes the 'faculty of language in the narrow sense' (FLn)?
Answer: It is the uniquely human component, primarily recursion.
Hauser, Chomsky, and Fitch proposed that FLn, the uniquely human aspect of language, is principally characterized by the computational mechanism of recursion.
How is the operation 'merge' described within the Strong Minimalist Thesis?
Answer: An operation that takes two objects to form a new set containing them.
In the Strong Minimalist Thesis, 'merge' is defined as a fundamental operation that combines two existing objects into a new set containing those objects.
What did James Hurford propose regarding the evolution of the Language Acquisition Device (LAD)?
Answer: The LAD is the phenomenon to be explained (explanandum), driven by mutations and functions (explanans).
Hurford conceptualizes the Language Acquisition Device (LAD) as the outcome (explanandum) of evolutionary processes, which are themselves the explanation (explanans).