Child language researchers understand that a successful theory of language
acquisition must be firmly rooted in linguistic theory. However, it is not clear that current
competence-based grammars can be used to provide accurate characterizations of the
learning process. These formalist approaches to language structure have the advantage
of being carefully stated and fully generative. Their disadvantage is that they tend to force
the language acquisition researcher into making a series of nativist assumptions that are
seldom supported by the empirical data. The major alternative to formalist theory is
functionalist theory (Dik, 1978; Foley and Van Valin, 1984; Givon,1979). A strong point of
functionalism is its emphasis upon the predictability and reasonableness of grammatical
markings. However, a major weakness of current functionalist theories is the fact that
they are not stated in a way that leads to concrete predictions about language
processing. The goal of the present work is the formulation of a process-oriented
functionally-based system that can serve as the basis for models of language
comprehension, production, and acquisition. Stated more succintly, the goal of this
research is the formulation of a functionalist process model. Until such a model is fully
formulated, the current controversies between nativism and empiricism and between
formalism and functionalism seem largely premature. After a full process model has
been fully formulated, it may well turn out that some of the issues currently being debated
will be supplanted by newer more detailed issues.