Phrase guide

universal grammar

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A hypothetical innate abstract system in the human brain that underlies the grammar of all human languages.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: universal qrammatika — hypothetical system in the brain that underlies the grammar of all languages
  • Chinese Cantonese: 普遍文法 (pou2 pin3 man4 faat3) — hypothetical system in the brain that underlies the grammar of all languages
  • Chinese Cantonese: 普遍語法 /普遍语法 (pou2 pin3 jyu5 faat3) — hypothetical system in the brain that underlies the grammar of all languages
  • Chinese Mandarin: 普遍文法 (pǔbiàn wénfǎ) — hypothetical system in the brain that underlies the grammar of all languages
  • Chinese Mandarin: 普遍語法 /普遍语法 (pǔbiàn yǔfǎ) — hypothetical system in the brain that underlies the grammar of all languages
  • Finnish: universaalikielioppi — hypothetical system in the brain that underlies the grammar of all languages
  • French: grammaire universelle — hypothetical system in the brain that underlies the grammar of all languages
  • German: Universalgrammatik — hypothetical system in the brain that underlies the grammar of all languages
  • Italian: grammatica universale — hypothetical system in the brain that underlies the grammar of all languages
  • Polish: gramatyka uniwersalna — hypothetical system in the brain that underlies the grammar of all languages
  • Portuguese: gramática universal — hypothetical system in the brain that underlies the grammar of all languages
  • Russian: универсальная грамматика (universalʹnaja grammatika) — hypothetical system in the brain that underlies the grammar of all languages
  • Spanish: gramática universal — hypothetical system in the brain that underlies the grammar of all languages