universal grammar

American  

noun

Linguistics.

1. a grammar that attempts to establish the properties and constraints common to all possible human languages.

2. an innate system of principles underlying the human language faculty.

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universal grammar British  

noun

1. linguistics (in Chomskyan transformation linguistics) the abstract limitations on the formal grammatical description of all human languages, actual or possible, that make them human languages

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Example Sentences

This still distinguishes Terrace's theory of language from Chomsky's, who argues that there is a "universal grammar" embedded in the neurology of every human brain which is unique to our species.

From Salon

Importantly, the presence of a universal grammar means humans can create an infinite number of meanings from a finite number of words.

From Salon

"I bet all creatures have their own language. Following Chomsky's universal grammar, we could probably discover in future that all living creatures have similar underlying grammars."

From Salon

"I bet all creatures have their own language. Following Chomsky's universal grammar, we could probably discover in future that all living creatures have similar underlying grammars."

From Salon

Noam Chomsky’s concept of universal grammar has come under attack in recent years, but to Adger—a Chomsky fan—this is evidence that at least some components of language are universally hard-wired.

From Slate