There is an ongoing debate of the relative importance of Nature vs. Nurture in language development. B.F. Skinner started the investigation with behavioral learning theory. Noam Chomsky and others argue that there is a universal set of abstract grammatical rules and that the human brain is uniquely suited to learn language. Later, researchers such as Lois Bloom saw a correlation between language and early cognition, maintaining that there is a semantic basis for language learning. Then along came the constructionists who believed that language emerges from social use.
Review the theories put forth by the theorists below:
• Skinner
• Chomsky
• Bloom
• Tomasello
• Piaget
• Vygotsky
Choose two theorists from above and discuss one strength and one weakness of each theory. Borrowing ideas from Skinner, Chomsky, Bloom, Tomasello, Piaget, and Vygotsky how would you articulate your own theory of linguistic development? Support your opinion with at least one scholarly resource.
