Bahasa Sebagai Kemampuan Bawaan: Kajian Psikolinguistik Atas Pandangan Nativisme Noam Chomsky

Abstract

This paper is motivated by the debate regarding the origins of human language ability, particularly between perspectives that emphasize environmental factors and those that view language as an innate ability. One influential theory in explaining this phenomenon is the nativist theory proposed by Noam Chomsky. This paper aims to describe the concept of language as an innate ability in Chomsky’s nativist theory, analyze its relevance in psycholinguistic studies, and identify the strengths and limitations of the theory. This paper employs a qualitative approach using library research. Data were obtained from books, scientific articles, and journals discussing nativism, language acquisition, and psycholinguistic studies. The data were analyzed using content analysis (Krippendorff) combined with descriptive-critical analysis techniques. The results show that nativist theory explains language ability as an innate capacity supported by the Language Acquisition Device (LAD) and Universal Grammar (UG). This theory can explain the speed and creativity of language acquisition in children but does not fully account for the influence of the social and cultural environment on language development. This study concludes that nativist theory remains relevant as a theoretical foundation in modern psycholinguistics, but it needs to be integrated with interactionist and sociolinguistic perspectives. The novelty of this study lies in a synthesis finding that treats innate capacity as a necessary but not sufficient condition: the capacity (LAD/UG) determines what can be acquired, while input and social interaction determine whether and how well it is realized. The study derives five pedagogical principles for Arabic language teachers: rich input, creative production, rule discovery, meaningful interaction, and explicit instruction for second-language learners.