Morphological Theory

Question 1

What did Noam Chompsky propose?

Answer 1

Universal grammar; language is innate, generative, and universal

Question 2

What are the three principles of of Universal Grammar?

Answer 2

1. INNATE: language is learned quickly by children because of poverty of the stimulus
2. GENERATIVE: Structures of grammar are derived through rules and make innovation possible
3. UNIVERSAL: all languages have the same underlying structure

Question 3

Poverty of the Stimulus

Answer 3

the input children receive is not sufficient for them to learn all the abstract hierarchical structures and rules that constitute grammar; therefore language learning must be somewhat innate

Question 4

Goals of morphological analysis

Answer 4

ELEGANCE: Theories should be economic, capture generalizations, and be intuitively satisfactory
DESCRIPTIVE REALISM: theories should match speakers knowledge/cognitive representations
SYSTEM-EXTERNAL EXPLANATION: Theories should consider how language reflects (general) cognitive, communicative, and social pressures
RESTRICTIVE ARCHITECTURE: Theories should identify rules and constraints that apply to all languages and prohibit logically possible but unattested types

Question 5

3 Principles of Functional/usage-based approach to morphological theory?

Answer 5

1. NOT INNATE: language only requires general cognitive abilities
2. LANGUAGE STRUCTURE SHAPED BY HOW WE USE THEM: shaped by frequency, efficiency, and social/communicative pressures
3. HIGHLIGHTS LANGUAGE DIVERSITY: UG is anglo-centric and euro-centric; similarities across languages are due to shared cognitive abilities and communicative needs