The ability of Tarzan to develop speech after growing up in the jungle without any exposure to humans would be criticized by someone with the __________ view of language acquisition, because a child not exposed to language early on may miss the biological opportunity for language development.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The nativist view, associated with linguist Noam Chomsky, posits that humans are born with an innate ability to learn language, which is triggered by exposure to language during a critical period in early development. If a child like Tarzan misses this critical period without exposure to human language, according to nativist theory, he would not be able to develop normal language skills later on.

The Ability of Tarzan to Develop Speech After Growing Up