Development of Human Language, Neurolinguistics and...

Most people take it for granted that children will develop cognition, language and communication skills when they reach a certain stage in their life. In fact, various studies have been conducted regarding these aspects of human development. A common topic for debate is the issue of nature versus nurture, wherein some groups support the idea that language and cognitive development is as natural as breathing while other groups contend that external factors influence these characteristics of human progress. Researchers are given the opportunity to dig deeper into this issue through cases involving feral, isolated and confined children. A normal child develops in a variety of domains that are closely linked with each other. They influence†¦show more content†¦Language development among humans normally occurs rapidly from the time the child is born to around the age of five. There are generally accepted language learning milestones that every child has to achieve even though the pace and age at which these are achieved may vary from child to child (Language Development). There are several theories regarding language acquisition and development. Chomsky theorized that people have an inborn ability to learn language through a special biological mechanism, a species-specific biological endowment, which he referred to as a Language Acquisition Device that is found in the brain. He likened this to a â€Å"universal grammar† that is recognized by all humans. His theories were also considered as Nativist in comparison to the Behaviorist theories which stipulate that language acquisition is achieved as a resu lt of providing rewards for imitations (Rieber ; â€Å"Theories About How Young Children Acquire and Develop Language†). Piaget contends that cognition precedes language development and children simply use language to represent what they are thinking. Vygotsky argued that language is primarily a form of social communication, which eventually leads to language and cognition. More recent theorists claim that the child is an active part of their holistic development with language acquisition being the result of cognitive, emotional and social interactions (â€Å"Theories About How Young Children Acquire and Develop Language†). All