Acquisition of Language: the Debate Between Jean Piaget and Noam Chomsky.

The first 200 words of this essay...

A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: IS THE DEBATE BETWEEN PIAGET AND CHOMSKY STILL HOLDS?

Rafidah Aga Mohd Jaladin

Department Of Educational Psychology & Counselling

Faculty Of Education

University Of Malaya

50603 Kuala Lumpur

Abstract

In language acquisition studies, the names Jean Piaget and Noam Chomsky are not uncommon. They were known because they were the founders of language acquisition theories, which act as guidance for researchers to study language and language acquisition. Although these two theorists were the main contributors in the study of language, they had a different and contradictory viewpoint. Piaget emphasized on the role of cognitive development factors in language acquisition, whereas, Chomsky focused on the role of genetic endowment factors. This paper discusses the differences in Piaget's and Chomsky's approaches to language acquisition in an attempt to present a new perspective showing that each has a place. A special focus is given to their differences in opinions and approaches towards the study of syntax and semantics, which are the two important components of a language.

Introduction

How children acquire language is one of the key mysteries facing scientific enquiry into humans. One of the reasons the