01:185:253 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Noam Chomsky, Principles And Parameters, Empiricism
9 Feb 2018
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The correct rule requires recognizing that phrases can be embedded in larger phrases. Recognizing that in every sentence there is one phrase that is the subject noun phrase. Knowing that the is that gets moved to the front is the one immediately following the subject noun phrase. Chomsky argued that sentences like (is a unicorn that is eating a flower in the cage that is in the garden?) are so rare that most english speaking children never encounter them the poverty of the stimulus. But kids can understand them and then produce them. Chomsky"s idea of parameter setting: what is innate is not a single grammar, but a limited set of options. Which option is selected is determined by the environment. (inherit knowledge with choices based on environment) (english- subject required, spanish- subject optional) If there are 20 parameters each with 2 options, there are 2^20 possible languages: an analogy.
