Which theorist is repeatedly linked to the development of core ideas about innate grammatical knowledge?

• A. Lev Vygotsky
• B. Noam Chomsky
• C. B.F. Skinner
• D. Jean Piaget

Answer: (B)

Focusing on innate grammatical knowledge means looking at the idea that humans are born with a built-in capacity for language and a set of underlying rules that shape how we form sentences. Noam Chomsky is the theorist most closely associated with this view, arguing for universal grammar and an innate language faculty—often described as a language acquisition device—that helps children deduce grammar from the language they hear, even when input is limited or imperfect. This perspective explains why young learners produce complex, rule-governed sentences they haven’t been explicitly taught and why different languages share deep structural similarities. By contrast, the other theorists emphasize different mechanisms: Vygotsky focuses on social interaction and cultural context, Skinner on language as behavior shaped by reinforcement, and Piaget on language linked to overall cognitive development. So, the idea of innately guided grammar points most strongly to Chomsky due to the universal grammar concept and the notion that certain grammatical knowledge is prewired.