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Relevant bibliographies by topics / Universal grammar (UG)

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Academic literature on the topic 'Universal grammar (UG)'

Author: Grafiati

Published: 5 June 2025

Last updated: 2 August 2025

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Journal articles on the topic "Universal grammar (UG)"

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Trettenbrein, Patrick C. "The “grammar” in Universal Grammar: A biolinguistic clarification." Questions and Answers in Linguistics 2, no. 1 (2015): 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/qal-2015-0005.

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Abstract This short piece addresses the confusion over terminology that has reigned, and partly still reigns, when it comes to the concept of Universal Grammar (UG). It is argued that whilst there might be changes in terminology and theory, conceptually UG cannot be eliminated. From a biolinguistic perspective, UG is not a hypothesis by any rational epistemological standard, but an axiom. Along these lines, the contemporary evolutionary perspective on the language faculty (FL) is briefly discussed to then argue that UG is necessarily part of FL in both a narrow and broad sense. Ultimately, reg

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Herschensohn, Julia. "Universal Grammar and the critical age." Behavioral and Brain Sciences 21, no. 4 (1998): 611–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x98211289.

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Differences of opinion between Epstein, Flynn & Martohardjono (1996) and some commentators can be traced to different interpretations of Universal Grammar (UG) form or strategy. Potential full access to the form of linguistic universals in second language acquisition may be distinguished from access to UG strategy, but Epstein et al.'s dismissal of the Critical Age Hypothesis clouds their central argument.

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Newmeyer, Frederick J. "Typological evidence and Universal Grammar." What Counts as Evidence in Linguistics? 28, no. 3 (2004): 527–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/sl.28.3.04new.

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The paper discusses the relevance of typological evidence for the construction of a theory of Universal Grammar (UG). After introducing UG-based approaches to typology, it goes on to argue that most typological generalizations are in no sense ‘knowledge of language’. In fact, some of the best-established typological generalizations have explanations based on language use, and so it is either empirically unmotivated or redundant to attempt to encompass them within UG theory. This conclusion is reinforced by a look at the widely-accepted Lexical Parameterization Hypothesis and by the current shi

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White, Lydia. "Second Language Acquisition and Universal Grammar." Studies in Second Language Acquisition 12, no. 2 (1990): 121–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0272263100009049.

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In this article, the motivation for Universal Grammar (UG), as assumed in the principles and parameters framework of generative grammar (Chomsky, 1981a, 1981b), is discussed, particular attention being paid to thelogical problemof first language acquisition. The potential role of UG in second language (L2) acquisition is then considered. Three different positions are reviewed: (a) the claim that UG is not available to L2 learners; (b) the claim that UG is fully available; and (c) the claim that the L2 learner's access to UG is mediated by the mother tongue. This raises the issue of what kind o

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Boussaid, Youness. "Is Universal Grammar Available To L2 Learners?" International Journal of Language and Literary Studies 4, no. 2 (2022): 321–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.36892/ijlls.v4i2.905.

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Nativist argues that Universal Grammar is the genetic component of the language faculty. This theoretical concept is controversial in many aspects. The lack of strong empirical evidence has rendered some language researchers and teachers troubled about what Universal Grammar is and whether L2 learners have access to UG. Understanding the different aspects of UG would assist teachers in approaching teaching L2 learners in the light of UG theory. The present review paper provides a brief account of what UG is and critically investigates the hypotheses and arguments for and against UG to give a c

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Borer, Hagit. "Access to Universal Grammar: The real issues." Behavioral and Brain Sciences 19, no. 4 (1996): 718–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x00043582.

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AbstractIssues concerning UG access for L2 acquisition as formulated by Epstein et al. are misleading as well as poorly discussed. UG accessibility can only be fully evaluated with respect to the steady state gram mar reached by the learner. The steady state for LI learners is self evidently the adult grammar in the speech community. For L2 learners, however, the steady state is not obvious. Yet, without its clear characterization, debates concerning stages of L2 acquisition and direct and indirect UG accessibility cannot be resolved.

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Martohardjono, Gita, Samuel David Epstein, and Suzanne Flynn. "Universal Grammar: Hypothesis space or grammar selection procedures? Is UG affected by Critical Periods?" Behavioral and Brain Sciences 21, no. 4 (1998): 612–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x98221285.

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Universal Grammar (UG) can be interpreted as a constraint on the form of possible grammars (hypothesis space) or as a constraint on acquisition strategies (selection procedures). In this response to Herschensohn we reiterate the position outlined in Epstein et al. (1996a, r), that in the evaluation of L2 acquisition as a UG- constrained process the former (possible grammars/ knowledge states) is critical, not the latter. Selection procedures, on the other hand, are important in that they may have a bearing on development in language acquisition. We raise the possibility that differences in fir

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Shoira Yakupbay kizi, Alimbaeva, Nurmuhammedova Nilufar Sali qizi, and Kosimova Kumush Golib kizi. "THE ROLE OF UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION." INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 2, no. 8 (2025): 22–25. https://doi.org/10.70728/tech.v2.i08.009.

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This article explores the role of Universal Grammar (UG) in the process of second language acquisition (SLA). It examines the theoreticalfoundations of UG, its application to SLA, and debates surrounding its accessibility to adult learners. Drawing on prominent studiesand linguistic theories, the paper analyses how UG principles influence second language learning and discusses alternative perspectiveschallenging the UG framework.

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Berent, Iris. "Unveiling phonological universals: A linguist who asks “why” is (inter alia) an experimental psychologist." Behavioral and Brain Sciences 32, no. 5 (2009): 450–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x09990628.

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AbstractEvans & Levinson (E&L) are right to hold theories of language accountable for language diversity, but typological data alone cannot determine the structure of mental phonological grammars. Grammatical universals are nonetheless testable by formal and experimental methods, and the growing research in experimental phonology demonstrates the viability of a comparative experimental evaluation of the Universal Grammar (UG) hypothesis.

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Felix, Sascha W. "Universal Grammar in Language Acquisition." Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique 33, no. 4 (1988): 367–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0008413100013189.

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Progress in linguistic theory during the past 20 years has made it increasingly clear that language acquisition must be viewed as an essentially deductive process in which the child analyzes the input data s/he is exposed to on the basis of an innately specified set of restrictive principles — technically known as Universal Grammar — which narrowly constrain the kinds of hypotheses a child will consider vis-à-vis a given set of data (cf. Chomsky 1980, 1981, 1986; Hornstein and Lightfoot 1981; White 1982; Felix 1987). As a consequence, there is a growing interest in the question of how exactly

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Universal grammar (UG)"

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Zhang, Jun. "Scope interaction between universal quantifiers and sentential negation in non-native English : the roles of UG and L1 grammar in L2 acquisition." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2013. http://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/1521.

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Books on the topic "Universal grammar (UG)"

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Roberts, Ian. Parameter Hierarchies and Universal Grammar. Oxford University Press, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198804635.001.0001.

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This book develops a minimalist approach to cross-linguistic morphosyntactic variation. The principal claim is that the essential insight of the principles-and-parameters approach to variation can be maintained—albeit in a somewhat different guise—in the context of the minimalist programme for linguistic theory. The central idea is to organize the parameters of Universal Grammar (UG) into hierarchies which define the ways in which properties of individually variant categories and features may act in concert. The hierarchies define macro-, meso-, and microparameters as a function of the positio

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Roberts, Ian, ed. The Oxford Handbook of Universal Grammar. Oxford University Press, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199573776.001.0001.

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The idea that all languages show affinities in their organisation, and particularly in grammar, is not a new one. It arguably originates in the thought of Plato and Aristotle, and manifests in medieval scholastic philosophy, in the 17th-century Port-Royal grammarians, and in modern linguistic theory. In modern linguistics, the concept of a universal set of structural principles that underlies the superficial grammatical diversity of the world’s languages has been most influentially developed by Noam Chomsky. The primary goal of this Handbook is to provide an overview and guide to this aspect o

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Contribution of Universal Grammar to Second Language Acquisition - Which Role Is Ug Likely to Play in Sla? GRIN Verlag GmbH, 2008.

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Gallego, Ángel J., and Dennis Ott, eds. Cartography and Explanatory Adequacy. Oxford University PressOxford, 2024. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198867937.001.0001.

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Abstract This collection of papers aims to contribute to the empirical, conceptual, and meta-theoretical discussion of the merits and drawbacks of the cartographic program in linguistic theory. Although cartography has its roots in Rizzi’s (1997) the study of the left periphery, its empirical perimeter has expanded significantly over the years, now covering a wide variety of empirical domains such as argument structure, modification, and constituent order. The hallmark of most (if not all) cartographic studies is the assumption that there is a rich array of functional projections whose hierarc

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Lander, Eric, and Liliane Haegeman. Syncretism and Containment in Spatial Deixis. Oxford University Press, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190876746.003.0005.

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This chapter investigates spatial-deictic systems (e.g. English this vs. that, or Latin hīc vs. iste vs. ille) from a wide range of typologically diverse languages. We propose that spatial deixis is encoded as a three-way contrast in Universal Grammar (UG): Proximal ‘close to speaker,’ Medial ‘close to hearer,’ and Distal ‘far from speaker and hearer.’ The empirical core of the chapter focuses on two phenomena: (i) syncretism and (ii) morphological containment. It is shown that only certain kinds of syncretism patterns are attested crosslinguistically: Syncretism cannot target Proximal and Dis

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Book chapters on the topic "Universal grammar (UG)"

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Kimura, Takayuki, and Shigenori Wakabayashi. "Chapter 13. UG-as-Guide in selection and reassembly of an uninterpretable feature in L2 acquisition of wh -questions." In Language Acquisition and Language Disorders. John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2024. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/lald.70.13kim.

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This study explores Universal Grammar (UG) in second language (L2) acquisition, focusing on uninterpretable features. We present the UG-as-Guide (UGG) model, which contends that UG plays a pivotal role in eliminating UG-incompatible properties. We investigated L2 English wh-questions in Chinese-speaking and Japanese-speaking learners through an acceptability judgment task and an elicited production task. The data revealed that lower-intermediate learners transfer optional movement operations from their native languages, and apply these operations obligatorily, contrary to UG principles, while

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Flynn, Suzanne. "Chapter 4. UG and L3 Acquisition: New Insights and More Questions." In Third Language Acquisition and Universal Grammar, edited by Yan-kit Ingrid Leung. Multilingual Matters, 2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.21832/9781847691323-007.

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Okuma, Tokiko. "L1 effects in acquisition of the Japanese OPC by L1 English and L1 Spanish speakers." In Language Faculty and Beyond. John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/lfab.18.05oku.

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This paper provides evidence for the Full Transfer/Full Access Hypothesis (FT/FA; Schwartz & Sprouse, 1994, 1996) through an investigation of the interpretation of the Japanese pronoun kare ‘he’ by intermediate and advanced L1 English and L1 Spanish speakers of L2 Japanese. The intermediate English group was not sensitive to the referential/quantified antecedent asymmetry in interpreting pronouns, while the intermediate Spanish group was. This difference is attributable to their L1s: English does not observe the Overt Pronoun Constraint (OPC), while Spanish, like Japanese, does. Moreover,

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Herschensohn, Julia, and Deborah Arteaga. "Methods and approaches in second language research of L2 French syntax." In Research Methods in Applied Linguistics. John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1075/rmal.9.07her.

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Abstract This chapter evaluates methodological inquiries to L2 acquisition (L2A) of French syntax and approaches used to carry them out. Over four decades, a range of theoretical approaches to L2 French syntax have prevailed in North America, Asia and Europe. For example, the generative or Universal Grammar (UG) perspective maintains that learning entails elaboration of an L2 grammar determined by universal principles and L1 influence. Functionalist approaches take a more wholistic perspective in situating syntax within the sociocultural context, examining both its interface with pragmatics an

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Kidwai, Ayesha. "XP-Adjunction in UG." In XP-Adjunction in Universal Grammar. Oxford University PressNew York, NY, 2000. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195132519.003.0006.

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Abstract I suggested, in chapter 1, that a description of the syntactic properties of the scrambling operation would provide valuable insights not only into the theoretical status of XP-adjunction but also into the architecture of Universal Grammar. In this the concluding chapter, I discuss the implications of my proposals for the theory of grammar.

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Kidwai, Ayesha. "Binding and Coreference in UG." In XP-Adjunction in Universal Grammar. Oxford University PressNew York, NY, 2000. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195132519.003.0004.

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Abstract The claim that scrambling is uniformly an XP-adjunction operation meets its major empirical challenge from the instances of scrambling that override WCO effects and putatively license reflexives. These instances provide a mandate for a reappraisal of the theory of binding, coreference, and re-construction in UG, rather than for a fracturing of the uniform analysis of scrambling as an XP-adjunction operation. This chapter initiates this exercise. Because the cases in which scrambling exhibits the binding properties of Case-driven NP-movement involve possessive reflexives and pronominal

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Flynn, Suzanne. "UG and L3 Acquisition:." In Third Language Acquisition and Universal Grammar. Multilingual Matters, 2009. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.27710841.9.

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Culicover, Peter W. "Universals." In Language Change, Variation, and Universals. Oxford University Press, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198865391.003.0003.

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This chapter reviews the approach to universals in contemporary grammatical theory as expressions of Universal Grammar (UG), the human faculty of language. The view developed in this chapter is that what is universal is conceptual structure, and grammatical universals arise as a consequence of pressures to formulate constructional grammars that express conceptual structure as simply as possible. The chapter argues that the constructional approach provides a natural framework for explaining language variation and change.

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Kidwai, Ayesha. "The Structure of the UG Clause." In XP-Adjunction in Universal Grammar. Oxford University PressNew York, NY, 2000. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195132519.003.0003.

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Abstract Inquiry in recent years into the architecture of the UG clause has yielded quite fruitful results. Since Chomsky (1989), structural Case and verb agreement is considered to be a reflex of the configuring of an argument and the verb in a SPEC-head relationship, now assumed to be effected via a checking relation in the universal clause structure as presented in example (2) of chapter 2. This chapter investigates the validity of this UG clause structure and the attendant assumption that Case can only be checked from a position narrowly L-related to an L-related head. Specifically, I argu

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Kidwai, Ayesha. "Issues in the Study of Scrambling." In XP-Adjunction in Universal Grammar. Oxford University PressNew York, NY, 2000. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195132519.003.0001.

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Abstract This book investigates the syntactic and interpretive properties of the leftward argument scrambling operation in Hindi-Urdu,1 and through it, the status of derived XP-adjunction in the model of Universal Grammar (UG) conceived of in the minimalist program (Chomsky 1992, 1993, 1995, Chomsky and Lasnik 1993). The study of argument scrambling has, over the past decade or so, made this leap from empirical fact to theoretical conjecture quite distinctly its own, mainly because the (leftward) argument scrambling operation crosslinguistically exhibits a puzzling variety of properties that r

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