However, here are some key ideas from his work that relate to this topic:
* Universal Grammar: Chomsky argues that humans have a universal grammar, a set of innate rules that govern the structure of all languages. This innate knowledge allows children to learn language quickly and easily, even though they are exposed to a limited and often imperfect sample of language.
* Language Acquisition Device (LAD): He proposed the existence of a Language Acquisition Device (LAD), a hypothetical mental faculty that is responsible for language acquisition. The LAD is believed to be a biological component of the human brain that is specifically designed for language learning.
* Poverty of the Stimulus: Chomsky argues that the input children receive is insufficient to explain their ability to acquire language. The "poverty of the stimulus" refers to the fact that children are not explicitly taught all the rules of grammar, yet they are able to produce and understand complex sentences.
Therefore, although there isn't one quote that fully captures Chomsky's view on the innate ability to acquire language, these concepts and ideas form the core of his theory. He believes that language acquisition is not simply a matter of learning by imitation or association, but is rather driven by a fundamental, biologically-based capacity for language.
Instead of a single quote, here are some statements that reflect Chomsky's thinking:
* "The child is not simply acquiring a set of habits, but is actively constructing a system of knowledge."
* "The child's task is not to discover the rules of his language, but rather to discover the principles of Universal Grammar, which are the same for all languages."
* "The child is not simply a passive recipient of information, but is an active learner, constantly testing and refining his hypotheses about the structure of language."
While these statements may not be direct quotes, they represent the core ideas of Chomsky's theories about the innate ability to acquire language.