Surveying Language Acquisition: A Homogenesis Of Innateness And Behaviorism

Abstract

First Language Acquisition (L1A) is a complicated process of mental/para-mental (internal/external) faculties running through different stages. Since its birth, language has been hypothesized about and explored upon by many linguists to know its acquiring mechanism. Some believe it to be an innate process present in the mind of an individual known as Language Acquisition Device (LAD) (Noam Chomsky, 1965); others, contrarily, consider it to be the result of behavior and habit formation which needs time span. This paper explores and argues: how language acquisition involves both innateness and behaviorism? The design of the present research paper is qualitative. It uses secondary sources, i.e., books, research papers, and articles. The available research done so far is critically examined by the present researchers in the form of a review. The close observation of language acquisition in its practical context leads the present researchers to the conclusion that language acquisition is not solely dependent upon either mentalism or behaviorism; rather, it is the homogenesis of both. The findings of this study can have important applications in the fields of cognitive psychology, ELT, linguistics, education and psychoanalysis. By showing the essential relationship between mentalism and behaviorism in language acquisition, the present study provides a theoretical basis for the development of holistic understanding in the fields of linguistics in general and language teaching in particular. Educators can devise curriculum that can solve the problems of language acquisition in a practical way by nuancing the possibilities of combining the Innate and Behaviorist approaches to language learning and acquisition. Those with the problems of speech and language delays can be treated in a more convenient way by providing them with an environment where they can have individualized interventions by focusing on the interplay of Mentalist and Behaviorist approaches to language acquisition and learning. In the same way, the new concept of Homogenesis of Language Acquisition (HLA) provides a strong theoretical foundation for the development in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically in Natural Language Processing (NLP) systems that focus on the mimicry of human language learning techniques. The present research also bridges the gap between the two most leading and opposite theories, thereby opening new vistas for practical research in the fields of linguistics and speech therapy in advancing communication skills.