关键词: 语言习得; 语言能力; 语言输入; 刺激贫乏论

Abstract:

According to universal grammar, in the process of children’s language acquisition, there are many deficiencies in language stimuli, but children are nonetheless able to develop grammatical abilities, indicating the existence of an innate language acquisition mechanism in the brain. This hypothesis has been challenged by cognitive linguists, who believe that children’s understanding and use of language is based on general cognitive abilities, especially memory, abstraction, and reasoning. In recent years, experiments have revealed that children have excellent memory, abstraction, and reasoning abilities. Abstraction helps children to grasp grammar rules and acquire constructions through daily exposure to language materials, while reasoning helps children to use existing knowledge to acquire new knowledge, thereby enhancing their expressive abilities. This paper examines the actual process of children’s language acquisition and suggests that the acquisition of children’s language abilities is closely related to the quality and quantity of language input. The sources of language stimuli that children receive are extensive, and their richness, specificity, and frequency far exceed the imagination of the general public. Moreover, children’s language abilities interact with their conceptual and thinking abilities. These conceptual abilities can promote the development of language abilities, which in turn can further promote the development of thinking abilities.

Keywords: language acquisition; language ability; language input; stimulus poverty