Language is not a form of behaviour, Chomsky maintained. On the
contrary, it is an intricate rule-based system and a large part of language
acquisition is the learning of the system. There are a finite number of
grammatical rules in the system and with a knowledge of these an infinite
number of sentences can be performed in the language (see 2.2). It is
competence that a child gradually acquires, and it is this language
competence (or knowledge of the grammar rules) that allows children to be
creative as language users (e.g. experimenting and saying things they have
not said before). We looked at a simple example of what the concept of
competence and performance involved in 2.2.
Language teaching has never adopted a methodology based on
Ch0msky’s work or strictly upon cognitivist theories in general. Ch0msky’s
theorising was never directed at adult language learning and he has
repeatedly made this clear. But the idea that language is not a set of habits
- that what matters is for learners to internalise a rule and that this will
allow for creative performance - has informed many teaching techniques
and methodologies. Thus students are often encouraged to use rules to
create sentences of their own. We could summarise this as: show them the
underlying structure and then let them have a go on their own. Creating
new sentences is the objective.