The Role of Universal Grammar in the Second Language Acquisition

What is the role of the universal grammar in the second language acquisition Are the first language acquisition and the second language acquisition identical with respect to the operation of the universal grammar These questions are the chief concerns in this paper. Following a general introduction of the debate about the role of universal grammar in the second language acquisition, the paper compares and contrasts some areas in the foreign language acquisition, including the source of language knowledge, the process of language acquisition and the degree of success attained by learners.It is put forward that universal grammar impinges on the second language acquisition via the foreign language acquisition.