Created or trained to speak?One of the defining characteristics of the human race is language. Humans have an intricate system of communication (language), a system learned by all humans in the first two or three years of our lives. Language is what differentiates us from animals and other ways of communication. Language acquisition can be defined as a process in which humans acquire the ability to produce and understand language. Language acquisition usually refers to first language acquisition, which studies the child's acquisition of the native language. The ability to successfully use language requires the acquisition of a range of tools including phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and a large vocabulary. Many theories and approaches to language acquisition have emerged over the years. Three main theories of language acquisition can be identified: imitation theory, reinforcement theory and innateness theory. For explanatory purposes, the three theories will be briefly described below. First, the main idea of ​​reinforcement theory is that children learn to talk like adults because they are taught to do so by being praised and rewarded for doing things correctly. They also get help because their parents "correct" them when they make mistakes. Second, imitation theory states that children learn grammar by memorizing the words and sentences of their language. Last but not least, the theory of innatism states that the human brain is genetically predisposed to language. Just as we are made to have two arms and are designed to walk, we are made to talk. Having defined this, we will focus and compare the last two theories mentioned. Imitation theory has… at the heart of the article… questions like why some children have speech disorders or how children and adults learn a second language, and we still don't understand what happens when a stroke or a disease like Alzheimer's or any other mental illness seems to erase a person's knowledge of language. Clarifying the process of language acquisition promises not only to help scientists answer these questions, but also to explain elementary features of learning and the human brain. References Fisher, N. (n.d.). Language Acquisition for Children, University of Michigan. Retrieved from: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/nicolesling/theories_of_lingual_acquisitionBuitrago, M. (n.d.). Behaviorist theory of language learning and acquisition. Available at: http://soda.ustadistancia.edu.co/enlinea/MAURICIO_BUITRAGO_ingles_PSYCHOLINGUISTICS_PRIMER_MOMENTO/Behaviorist_theory_on_lingual_acquisition.pdf