Many different theories of language have been developed in an attempt to account for these features. They often describe or explain the key properties somewhat differently or focus on different issues. For example, many linguists believe that the complexity and novelty shown by the generativity of language means that language acquisition must be due primarily to innate or genetic factors. Most cognitive psychologists, on the other hand, focus on how our brain and mental structures determine how we process and store symbols and information.
Symbolism | Generativity |
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Words “refer” to other things What a word “refers” to is often its meaning | We can create and understand an infinite number of meaningful sentences |