Innate Language Faculty (内在的语言能力): Chomsky argues that humans are born with an inherent capacity for language, which he refers to as the "innate language faculty." This capacity includes a set of abstract linguistic principles and rules that are common to all languages.
Universal Grammar (通用语法): Universal Grammar is the theoretical framework that encompasses these innate linguistic principles and rules. It represents the shared structure that underlies all human languages, providing a common foundation for language acquisition.
Language Acquisition Device (LAD) theory: Humans are born with an innate cognitive mechanism (先天認知機制) or mental structure that enables them to effortlessly acquire and generate language. This innate capacity, according to Chomsky, is responsible for the universal aspects of human language and guides children as they learn the specific grammar and syntax of their native language(s). *He think children's innate predisposition (先天傾向) for language acquisition. *Children will never acquire the tools needed for processing an infinite number of sentences if the language acquisition mechanism was dependent on language input alone.如果語言習得機制僅依賴於語言輸入，那麼兒童將永遠無法獲得處理無限數量句子所需的工具
Language Variation (語言變異): Universal Grammar explains how languages can vary from one another while still adhering (粘附) to a common underlying structure. It accounts for the diversity of languages by positing that languages differ in the particular parameters or settings within the universal framework.
Challenges to Behaviorism: Chomsky's theory challenged behaviorist views of language acquisition, which emphasized learning through conditioning and reinforcement. Instead, he argued that the speed and complexity of language acquisition could not be explained solely (單獨解釋)by external stimuli (外部刺激) but required an innate, internal mechanism(機制).
Ongoing Research and Debate: Chomsky's Universal Grammar Theory has been influential in shaping the field of linguistics, cognitive science, and psycholinguistics. However, it remains a subject of ongoing debate and research, with scholars continuing to explore the nature and specifics of Universal Grammar and its implications for understanding human language and cognition.
In essence, the main point of Chomsky's Universal Grammar Theory is to provide a theoretical framework for explaining the innate human capacity for language acquisition and the shared linguistic features that underlie the rich diversity of languages spoken around the world.
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