The concept of innate language ability/competence is associated with ______.

Noam Chomsky proposed the theory of innate language ability, postulating the existence of a Language Acquisition Device (LAD) — an innate biological endowment that enables children to acquire language. According to Chomsky, all humans possess a Universal Grammar (UG), an inborn set of grammatical principles common to all languages. This innate competence explains how children rapidly acquire complex language despite limited and imperfect input (the 'poverty of the stimulus' argument). Piaget focused on cognitive development stages, Skinner proposed behaviorist language learning through reinforcement, and Vygotsky emphasized social interaction and the Zone of Proximal Development. Innate linguistic competence is distinctively Chomsky's contribution.