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On evaluating arguments for special nativism in second language acquisition theory

Department of Linguistics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0413, USA

This article attempts to evaluate several arguments that have been put forth in favour of special nativism in SLA. Specifically, the cases for each of the following claims are considered: 1) that Universal Grammar (UG) being implicated in L2 acquisition is the null hypothesis; 2) that any theory of SLA necessarily needs a theory of grammar; and 3) that showing that interlanguage grammars are underdetermined by the available input implies that UG must be accessible in L2 learning. In each case, it is argued that the arguments for special nativism are not compelling, and that it is therefore reasonable to consider a research programme in SLA theory that is based on general nativism.

Second Language Research, Vol. 12, No. 4, 398-419 (1996)
DOI: 10.1177/026765839601200404


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