Which concept describes the idea that there is a set of universal grammatical principles shared by all languages?

Which concept describes the idea that there is a set of universal grammatical principles shared by all languages?

• A. Language Acquisition Device
• B. Universal Grammar
• C. Innateness Hypothesis
• D. Transformational Grammar

Answer: (B)

Universal Grammar describes the idea that there is a set of universal grammatical principles shared by all languages. This view holds that humans are born with an innate blueprint that constrains how languages can be structured, which helps children quickly learn their native language from limited and imperfect input. Despite surface differences, languages show deep similarities in how they organize sentences, form questions, or express negation, pointing to common underlying rules rather than entirely separate grammars. Related ideas—like the Language Acquisition Device, which is the imagined mental mechanism that utilizes these principles; the Innateness Hypothesis, a broader claim that language is inborn; and Transformational Grammar, a framework for describing how deep structures map onto surface forms—are connected to this notion, but Universal Grammar specifically names the shared set of grammatical principles across languages.

Universal Grammar describes the idea that there is a set of universal grammatical principles shared by all languages. This view holds that humans are born with an innate blueprint that constrains how languages can be structured, which helps children quickly learn their native language from limited and imperfect input. Despite surface differences, languages show deep similarities in how they organize sentences, form questions, or express negation, pointing to common underlying rules rather than entirely separate grammars. Related ideas—like the Language Acquisition Device, which is the imagined mental mechanism that utilizes these principles; the Innateness Hypothesis, a broader claim that language is inborn; and Transformational Grammar, a framework for describing how deep structures map onto surface forms—are connected to this notion, but Universal Grammar specifically names the shared set of grammatical principles across languages.