Universal Grammar (UG)

Universal grammar (UG) is the linguistic term that refers to the fact that all languages, no matter how different they may seem from another, have in common that they can be broken down into nouns and verbs and other grammatic forms. Sometimes referred to as mental grammar, UG theories propose that the need for and use of these grammatic forms appears to be "hard-wired" into the human brain and that human beings, unless they are severely sensory deprived, will use or even create language for communication.

This concept is credited to the linguist and cognitive scientist Noam Chomsky.