The Language Acquisition Device (LAD) is an innate, biologically determined mental mechanism proposed by Noam Chomsky that equips humans with the capacity to learn and acquire language.

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Noam Chomsky criticized the behaviorist approach to language learning, asserting instead that the mechanisms underlying language acquisition are biologically determined.

Chomsky's Theory of Language Acquisition

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Humans appear to be born with a biological predisposition to acquire a language. Evidence supporting this includes the observation that the use of language develops in the absence of formal instruction and follows a very similar pattern in children from vastly different cultures and backgrounds.

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