Which of the following provide evidence for the nativist view of language acquisition?

• A. Children learn language very rapidly.
• B. Infants use statistical reasoning to learn language.
• C. Children learn grammar without being purposefully taught it.
• D. Language is learned through imitation.

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is that grammar emerges when children are not explicitly taught rules, which points to an innate linguistic ability. When kids pick up grammar without formal instruction, they often apply rules to new words and form sentences they haven’t heard before, sometimes making overgeneralizations like adding -ed to create new past tense forms. This shows they’re not simply repeating imitation; they’re organizing language with internal knowledge of structure. That kind of automatic, rule-governed learning supports the nativist view that there’s an inborn language faculty guiding grammar.

The other statements don’t provide as clear evidence for innateness. Rapid language growth can happen with plenty of exposure and interaction and doesn’t by itself prove an innate grammar. Infants’ use of statistical cues reveals how they parse patterns in language input, which fits learning from the environment rather than revealing an innate grammatical system. Language learning through imitation aligns with a behaviorist or usage-based view, since it emphasizes copying heard speech rather than discovering abstract rules.