Second language acquisition and the role of universal grammar

Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 2,7, University of Koblenz-Landau (Institut für fremdsprachliche Philologien), course: Second Language Acquisition, language: English, abstract: This term paper, deals primarily with Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and the role of Universal Grammar (UG) within the scope of the on-going language acquisition process. The Universal Grammar approach is an issue which is often discussed within linguistic studies. However, the positions about this theory are highly dispersed. This is not only a problem of SLA; the problem also exists in studies of First Language Acquisition (FLA). Hence, on the one hand the Universal Grammar approach is often seen as not verified but on the other hand it is also believed to be the only solution to the question of how language is acquired. This term paper describes different point of views of UG and its role in the Second Language Acquisition process. The main question in this term paper is: 'Does UG play a role in SLA and if it does, what kind of role is it likely to play?' Further, this paper discusses whether UG only influences SLA or if the first language regulates the acquisition of a second language. Some scientists argue that there is no UG in language acquisition at all; others claim that UG is does not exist in SLA. Finally, there are numerous ideas on this topic and all of them show evidence, some are more, some are less convincing. Unfortunately, it goes beyond the scope of this term paper to state all the different aspects of research, all the data and experiments regarding UG and SLA. However, this work describes some of the fundamental views of how UG plays a role in SLA. Additionally, it shows what kind of influence of FLA may be possible on the process of SLA. To first get an overview over the topic, the paper starts with the idea of the Universal Grammar (in FLA), before we will tie in with Universal Grammar in SLA. The main part of this term paper is the role of UG in SLA. Through the discussion it will be pointed out that various aspects of SLA compared to FLA do not allow for a definite and irrevocable answer to this question.