The innate property enabling humans to learn a language naturally and spontaneously is called what?

• A. Language transfer
• B. Language acquisition device
• C. Interlanguage
• D. Fossilization

Answer: (B)

Language learning is guided by an inborn faculty called the Language Acquisition Device. This idea, proposed by Chomsky, suggests that humans are born with a built-in system of grammatical knowledge and parameters that help us deduce the rules of our language from the input we hear. With exposure to language, this device enables children to rapidly construct syntax and grammar, leading to natural and spontaneous language development without formal instruction. It’s connected to the broader idea of Universal Grammar, the idea that languages share underlying structural features. The other terms describe different phenomena: language transfer is applying patterns from a first language to another language; interlanguage is the learner’s evolving, intermediate grammar; fossilization is when errors become permanent. So the innate mechanism behind spontaneous language learning is the Language Acquisition Device.