ABSTRACT
The study of language acquisition is important for a number of reasons. There is a practical purpose in that such research might aid the development of competence in one’s language. It is common to find remarks in the psycholinguistic literature (e.g., Chomsky & Miller, 1963) that full competence in a language comes to almost all humans despite their differing experiences and general intelligences. This would seem to deny that any practical benefits could arise from an understanding of language acquisition. However, competence in a language is not an all-or-none affair. Most members of our society suffer deficits in their language ability. The difficulty I have in writing this paper is witness to the fact that a Ph.D. is no guarantee of perfection in the use of language. If we understood how language is acquired and organized, it might be possible to improve the usefulness of language as a tool for all of us. Moreover, whatever ease we have with our first language, it is clear that second language acquisition is not an automatic matter. With respect to second language learning, an understanding of the mechanisms of language acquisition would be of enormous benefit.
