Which theory states language is innate and involves hypothesis, trial and error, creativity?

• A. Innatist theory of LA
• B. Cognitive-developmentalist theory of LA
• C. The Silent Way
• D. The Natural Approach

Answer: (A)

Language development is driven by an inborn language faculty, which is the heart of the Innatist theory of language acquisition. This view holds that people are born with an internal system—often described as a language acquisition device—that provides abstract rules for how language works. As children hear language, they form hypotheses about these rules, test them against what they encounter, and gradually refine their internal grammar through trial and error. That internal rule system also enables creativity: speakers can generate novel sentences that they have not heard before by applying learned patterns to new situations.

This explains why children quickly acquire grammar and can overgeneralize rules (like adding -ed to form past tense in forms they haven’t heard yet) as they experiment with language rules. The other options describe different ideas or methods—teaching approaches or views that tie language learning to broader cognitive development rather than positing an innate grammatical system—so they don’t center on an intrinsic language faculty guiding hypothesis testing and creative production.