What do you mean by Innatist theories? Discuss Innatism with research evidence.

Language acquisition is of the central topics in cognitive science. Every theory of cognition has tried to explain it. Probably no other topic has aroused such controversy. Possessing a language is the essentially human trait: all normal humans speak, no nonhuman animal does. (Language Acquisition)

Noam Chomsky argues that children are born with a unique kind of knowledge which fits them for learning. This knowledge is embodied in a mechanism called the Language Acquisition Device or LAD. He believes that without notion such a device it is impossible to understand how children master their native language in such a short time in spite of the highly abstract nature of the rules.

According to Chomsky, it would be impossible for a child to learn the abstract system of a language from such degenerate data unless he had some prior knowledge about the general character of natural languages. He argues that since children must be equipped to learn any language as a native language, the prior knowledge embodied in LAD must constitute that which is common to all languages. "Universal Grammar specifies the allowable mental representations that all languages are confined to use. The theory of universal grammar is closely attached to the theory of the mental mechanisms children use in acquiring language." (Language Acquisition) 

Chomsky argues his innateness hypothesis on three counts. First is the existence of language universals. It is argued that everybody learns a language because they possess an inborn capacity which permits them to acquire a language as a normal maturational process. This capacity is by definition universal.

The second count on which Chomsky argues his innateness hypothesis is the fact of language learning itself. He argues that the adult speech that a child hears around him is so poorly structured and impaired in performance.

The third innateness hypothesis concerns the speed of acquisition of language. Language could not be learnt with the speed at which it is done unless the children were preprogrammed to do so.

Chomsky argues that children learn languages that are governed by subtle and abstract principles and they do so without explicit instruction or any other environmental clues. Hence, language acquisition depends on an innate, species-specific module that is distinct from general intelligence.