Which concept is described as the system of grammar that is universal across languages?

Which concept is described as the system of grammar that is universal across languages?

• A. LAD
• B. Deep Structures
• C. Universal/Generative Grammar
• D. Innateness Hypothesis

Answer: (C)

The system described as universal across languages is Universal Grammar, the shared set of grammatical principles that constrain all human languages. It embodies an innate blueprint that, within the Generative Grammar framework, is used to describe how sentences are formed and which structures are possible. This explains why children can acquire complex syntax with relatively little explicit instruction or input—the underlying rules are common to all languages and guide language development. The idea is that there are universal aspects of grammar, plus optional variations (parameters) that account for differences among languages. The other terms relate to related ideas but don’t name the universal grammar system itself: the Language Acquisition Device refers to the cognitive mechanism enabling language learning, Deep Structures is an older notion about underlying sentence forms, and the Innateness Hypothesis is a broad claim about language being innate rather than a specific universal grammar system.

The system described as universal across languages is Universal Grammar, the shared set of grammatical principles that constrain all human languages. It embodies an innate blueprint that, within the Generative Grammar framework, is used to describe how sentences are formed and which structures are possible. This explains why children can acquire complex syntax with relatively little explicit instruction or input—the underlying rules are common to all languages and guide language development. The idea is that there are universal aspects of grammar, plus optional variations (parameters) that account for differences among languages. The other terms relate to related ideas but don’t name the universal grammar system itself: the Language Acquisition Device refers to the cognitive mechanism enabling language learning, Deep Structures is an older notion about underlying sentence forms, and the Innateness Hypothesis is a broad claim about language being innate rather than a specific universal grammar system.