AbstractThis article reviews current approaches to first language acquisition, arguing in favor of the theory that attributes to the child an innate knowledge of universal grammar. Such knowledge can accommodate the systematic nature of children's non‐adult linguistic behaviors. The relationships between performance devices (mechanisms for comprehension and production of speech), non‐linguistic aspects of cognition, and child grammars are also discussed.WIREs Cogn Sci2011 2 47–54 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.95This article is categorized under:Linguistics > Language Acquisition