Generative Property Differentiate the Generative Property of Essay

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Generative Property

Differentiate the generative property of language

The concept of generative grammar is that the ability to use language is a skill that is hard-wired into the human brain. Grammar is considered 'generative' because it is deductive rather than inductive -- once someone internalizes the principles of the language, he or she is able to use it in a personal manner, provided he or she plays within the 'rules' of the language. Furthermore, the grammar of language can change and grow over time, with the needs of the speaker.

"A signature feature of generative grammar is the view that humans have an innate 'language faculty' and that the universal principles of human language reflect intrinsic properties of this language faculty" (Browning 2011). This means that when children are acquiring their native languages, they internalize the specific rules that determine meaning through sounds in an unforced and relatively short period of time. "The most plausible explanation for the success of human language learners is that they have access to a highly restrictive set of principles which does not require (or permit) them to consider many alternatives in order to account for a particular construction, but instead limits them to a few possible rules from which a choice can be made -- if necessary, without much further evidence" (Browning 2010).

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Generative grammar means that language must be limited in the sense that the rules used for its construction are finite. There is predictability in terms of how language will be articulated. "In other words, a grammar must 'generate all and only the grammatical sentences of a language'. It means merely that the grammar must be so designed that by following its rules and conventions we can produce all or any of the possible sentences of the language" (Describe the concept of transformational generative grammar, n.d, Descriptive Linguistics). While some people may misspeak, "the 'competence' and 'performance' of a native speaker of a language are related to the TG grammarians' interest not in the neutral text but in what is linguistically possible. Their interest, does not….....

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