Theoretical Perspectives
by Robert Bryant
1. Nativist
1.1. Noam Chomsky
1.2. Syntactic Focus
1.3. Nature
1.4. Contends that all people inherently have the capacity to acquire language due to cognitive structures.
2. Cognitive/Developmentalist
2.1. Jean Piaget
2.2. Semantic and Morphemic Focus
2.3. Nature
2.4. Language is acquired as maturation occurs and cognitive competencies develop.
3. Behaviorist
3.1. B.F. Skinner
3.2. Semantic, Syntactic, and Morphemic
3.3. Nurture
3.4. Learning occurs based on the stimuli, responses, and reinforcements that occur in the environment.
4. Interactionist
4.1. Vygotsky, Bruner, and Halliday
4.2. Pragmatic
4.3. Nurture
4.4. Children acquire language through their attempts to communicate with the world around them.
