Basic points on CLA theorists

Skinner

• Nurture
• Children learn language from imitation 

Support for Skinner: 

• Babies hear and then will eventually develop to speak the native language 
• Care givers language changes to help the child learn to speak
• Reinforcement 
• Imitation and observation of others 

Criticism for Skinner: 

• Production of language that could not have been heard or taught

Chomsky

• Nature
• 'Biologically pre-programmed to acquire language'

Support for Chomsky:

• Language is universal 
• Brain areas related to language (FOXP2)
• Deaf babies babble, but later
• Feral children acquire some language, even though it may not be normal language
• Language is essential for survival 

Lenneberg

• The critical stage for language acquisition, and once this has passed it is difficult to acquire some if any language 

Deb Roy

•  Recorded his sons acquisition of language, and came to the conclusion that care givers converge their language