"innateness hypothesis"的定义和意义

What is "innateness hypothesis"?

The innateness hypothesis is a theory in linguistics and cognitive science that suggests humans are born with an inherent ability to acquire language. Proposed by Noam Chomsky, this hypothesis proposes that children possess a natural capacity for understanding the rules of language, which is not solely based on environmental input. According to this theory, there exists a universal grammar, a set of principles shared by all languages, that guides language development. The innateness hypothesis argues that this biological predisposition enables children to learn complex grammatical structures quickly and efficiently, providing insights into the relationship between language, cognition, and human development.