Introduction

Abstract

The human capacity for language presents a fascinating challenge in our most introspective of scientific pursuits: the study of the mind. Indeed, the language faculty is one of the principal attributes of the human mind which distinguishes us from other species. In our endeavour to understand the nature of this facility, a number of questions arise: What is the nature of the mechanism which permits the unconscious acquisition of language? Once acquired, how is it that people come to process language so rapidly, effortlessly, and indeed, automatically? Is this facility different from or similar to the other perceptual faculties? Which aspects of the language subsystem are innately predetermined, and hence hold universally regardless of the particular language, and which aspects are subject to variation based on linguistic experience? In an effort to shed light on these matters, there have been a number of proposals concerning the architecture and mechanisms which enable these linguistic abilities.