What is the term for the system of principles children are born with that helps language learning?

What is the term for the system of principles children are born with that helps language learning?

• A. LAD
• B. Lexicon
• C. Lingua franca
• D. Intrinsic motivation

Answer: (A)

Think of language learning as guided by an inborn mechanism that encodes how language is structured. This is the Language Acquisition Device—the idea that children are born with a specialized set of principles or a mental module that helps them infer grammar rules from the language they hear. It explains how kids quickly grasp syntax and rules even from imperfect input, pointing to an underlying, universal set of linguistic assumptions. Other terms refer to different things: Lexicon is the mental dictionary of words and their meanings, not the rules of grammar; Lingua franca is a common language used to communicate between speakers of different languages; Intrinsic motivation is about the internal drive to learn, not a built-in linguistic mechanism. So the term for the system of principles children are born with that helps language learning is Language Acquisition Device.

Think of language learning as guided by an inborn mechanism that encodes how language is structured. This is the Language Acquisition Device—the idea that children are born with a specialized set of principles or a mental module that helps them infer grammar rules from the language they hear. It explains how kids quickly grasp syntax and rules even from imperfect input, pointing to an underlying, universal set of linguistic assumptions.

Other terms refer to different things: Lexicon is the mental dictionary of words and their meanings, not the rules of grammar; Lingua franca is a common language used to communicate between speakers of different languages; Intrinsic motivation is about the internal drive to learn, not a built-in linguistic mechanism.

So the term for the system of principles children are born with that helps language learning is Language Acquisition Device.