John Benjamins Publishing Company
Universals, innateness and explanation in second language acquisition
Abstract
This paper considers the question of explanation in second language acquisition within the context of two approaches to universals, Universal Grammar and language typology. After briefly discussing the logic of explaining facts by including them under general laws (Hempel & Oppenheim 1948), the paper makes a case for the typological approach to explanation being the more fruitful, in that it allows more readily for the possibility of ‘explanatory ascent’, the ability to propose more general, higher order explanations by having lower-level generalizations follow from more general principles. The UG approach, on the other hand is less capable of such explanatory ascent because of the postulation that the innate, domain-specific principles of UG are not reducible in any interesting way to higher order principles of cognition (Chomsky 1982).
Abstract
This paper considers the question of explanation in second language acquisition within the context of two approaches to universals, Universal Grammar and language typology. After briefly discussing the logic of explaining facts by including them under general laws (Hempel & Oppenheim 1948), the paper makes a case for the typological approach to explanation being the more fruitful, in that it allows more readily for the possibility of ‘explanatory ascent’, the ability to propose more general, higher order explanations by having lower-level generalizations follow from more general principles. The UG approach, on the other hand is less capable of such explanatory ascent because of the postulation that the innate, domain-specific principles of UG are not reducible in any interesting way to higher order principles of cognition (Chomsky 1982).
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- What counts as evidence in linguistics? 1
- Typological evidence and Universal Grammar 51
- Remarks on the relation between language typology and Universal Grammar 75
- Does linguistic explanation presuppose linguistic description? 81
- Remarks on description and explanation in grammar 109
- Author’s response 113
- From UG to Universals 117
- Form, meaning and speakers in the evolution of language 139
- Author’s response 143
- Why assume UG? 147
- What kind of evidence could refute the UG hypothesis? 175
- Author’s response 179
- A question of relevance 181
- The Relevance of Variation 209
- Author’s response 215
- Universals, innateness and explanation in second language acquisition 217
- ‘Internal’ versus ‘external’ universals 241
- Author’s response 245
- What counts as evidence in historical linguistics? 249
- Abstraction and performance 283
- Author’s response 287
- Index 291
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- What counts as evidence in linguistics? 1
- Typological evidence and Universal Grammar 51
- Remarks on the relation between language typology and Universal Grammar 75
- Does linguistic explanation presuppose linguistic description? 81
- Remarks on description and explanation in grammar 109
- Author’s response 113
- From UG to Universals 117
- Form, meaning and speakers in the evolution of language 139
- Author’s response 143
- Why assume UG? 147
- What kind of evidence could refute the UG hypothesis? 175
- Author’s response 179
- A question of relevance 181
- The Relevance of Variation 209
- Author’s response 215
- Universals, innateness and explanation in second language acquisition 217
- ‘Internal’ versus ‘external’ universals 241
- Author’s response 245
- What counts as evidence in historical linguistics? 249
- Abstraction and performance 283
- Author’s response 287
- Index 291
