The Status of Universal Grammar
The idea of Universal Grammar (UG) has been around in linguistics for some time. The idea is that there are characteristics of grammar which are found in all human languages, i.e. they are universal. A major assumption of generative theories is that this UG is innate, i.e. we humans are born with it. The understanding of what constitutes UG has changed dramatically since it was introduced, but this issue of innateness has remained.
However, what is meant by UG being ‘innate’? In earlier generative theories it seemed synonymous with ‘given’, i.e. these are the principles of language that we have at our disposal so let’s not question why we have these particular tools and not others. As a theoretical construct, UG gives us the theoretical tools to work with when examining language.
But if something like UG is described as ‘innate’, are we not also saying that UG is a biological construct as well? This leads to questions about how UG is encoded in our genes (or how it arises from the interaction of other biological constructs). Now it becomes very important to ask why the principles of language are supposedly as they are. We should hopefully be able to find biological explanations for the principles of language (and if we can’t do so for a particular principle, then it’s worth thinking again about whether it should be considered a principle or not – it might turn out to be an epiphenomenon for example). What should be clear is that, if we want to look for deeper explanations about the nature and origins of language, we cannot take theoretically ‘innate’ principles for granted.