Aspects of the Theory of Syntax, 50th Anniversary Edition
The fiftieth anniversary edition of a landmark work in generative grammar that continues to be influential, with a new preface by the author.

Noam Chomsky's Aspects of the Theory of Syntax, published in 1965, was a landmark work in generative grammar that introduced certain technical innovations still drawn upon in contemporary work. The fiftieth anniversary edition of this influential book includes a new preface by the author that identifies proposals that seem to be of lasting significance, reviews changes and improvements in the formulation and implementation of basic ideas, and addresses some of the controversies that arose over the general framework.

Beginning in the mid-fifties and emanating largely from MIT, linguists developed an approach to linguistic theory and to the study of the structure of particular languages that diverged in many respects from conventional modern linguistics. Although the new approach was connected to the traditional study of languages, it differed enough in its specific conclusions about the structure of language to warrant a name, “generative grammar.” Various deficiencies were discovered in the first attempts to formulate a theory of transformational generative grammar and in the descriptive analysis of particular languages that motivated these formulations. At the same time, it became apparent that these formulations can be extended and deepened. In this book, Chomsky reviews these developments and proposes a reformulation of the theory of transformational generative grammar that takes them into account. The emphasis in this study is syntax; semantic and phonological aspects of the language structure are discussed only insofar as they bear on syntactic theory.

"1137255941"
Aspects of the Theory of Syntax, 50th Anniversary Edition
The fiftieth anniversary edition of a landmark work in generative grammar that continues to be influential, with a new preface by the author.

Noam Chomsky's Aspects of the Theory of Syntax, published in 1965, was a landmark work in generative grammar that introduced certain technical innovations still drawn upon in contemporary work. The fiftieth anniversary edition of this influential book includes a new preface by the author that identifies proposals that seem to be of lasting significance, reviews changes and improvements in the formulation and implementation of basic ideas, and addresses some of the controversies that arose over the general framework.

Beginning in the mid-fifties and emanating largely from MIT, linguists developed an approach to linguistic theory and to the study of the structure of particular languages that diverged in many respects from conventional modern linguistics. Although the new approach was connected to the traditional study of languages, it differed enough in its specific conclusions about the structure of language to warrant a name, “generative grammar.” Various deficiencies were discovered in the first attempts to formulate a theory of transformational generative grammar and in the descriptive analysis of particular languages that motivated these formulations. At the same time, it became apparent that these formulations can be extended and deepened. In this book, Chomsky reviews these developments and proposes a reformulation of the theory of transformational generative grammar that takes them into account. The emphasis in this study is syntax; semantic and phonological aspects of the language structure are discussed only insofar as they bear on syntactic theory.

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Aspects of the Theory of Syntax, 50th Anniversary Edition

Aspects of the Theory of Syntax, 50th Anniversary Edition

by Noam Chomsky
Aspects of the Theory of Syntax, 50th Anniversary Edition

Aspects of the Theory of Syntax, 50th Anniversary Edition

by Noam Chomsky

Paperback(50th Anniversary Edition)

$35.00 
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Overview

The fiftieth anniversary edition of a landmark work in generative grammar that continues to be influential, with a new preface by the author.

Noam Chomsky's Aspects of the Theory of Syntax, published in 1965, was a landmark work in generative grammar that introduced certain technical innovations still drawn upon in contemporary work. The fiftieth anniversary edition of this influential book includes a new preface by the author that identifies proposals that seem to be of lasting significance, reviews changes and improvements in the formulation and implementation of basic ideas, and addresses some of the controversies that arose over the general framework.

Beginning in the mid-fifties and emanating largely from MIT, linguists developed an approach to linguistic theory and to the study of the structure of particular languages that diverged in many respects from conventional modern linguistics. Although the new approach was connected to the traditional study of languages, it differed enough in its specific conclusions about the structure of language to warrant a name, “generative grammar.” Various deficiencies were discovered in the first attempts to formulate a theory of transformational generative grammar and in the descriptive analysis of particular languages that motivated these formulations. At the same time, it became apparent that these formulations can be extended and deepened. In this book, Chomsky reviews these developments and proposes a reformulation of the theory of transformational generative grammar that takes them into account. The emphasis in this study is syntax; semantic and phonological aspects of the language structure are discussed only insofar as they bear on syntactic theory.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780262527408
Publisher: MIT Press
Publication date: 12/26/2014
Series: The MIT Press
Edition description: 50th Anniversary Edition
Pages: 296
Product dimensions: 5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

About The Author
Noam Chomsky is Institute Professor and Professor of Linguistics (Emeritus) at MIT and the author of many influential books on linguistics, including Aspects of the Theory of Syntax and The Minimalist Program, both published by the MIT Press.

Table of Contents

Preface to the 50th Anniversary Edition ix

Preface xxi

1 Methodological Preliminaries 1

§ 1 Generative Grammars as Theories of Linguistic Competence 1

§ 2 Toward a Theory of Performance 8

§ 3 The Organization of a Generative Grammar 14

§ 4 Justification of Grammars 17

§ 5 Formal and Substantive Universals 27

§ 6 Further Remarks on Descriptive and Explanatory Theories 30

§ 7 On Evaluation Procedures 37

§ 8 Linguistic Theory and Language Learning 48

§ 9 Generative Capacity and Its Linguistic Relevance 62

2 Categories and Relations in Syntactic Theory 67

§ 1 The Scope of the Base 67

§ 2 Aspects of Deep Structure 69

§ 2.1 Categorization 69

§ 2.2 Functional notions 73

§ 2.3 Syntactic features 80

§ 2.3.1 The problem 80

§ 2.3.2 Some formal similarities between syntax and phonology 85

§ 2.3.3 General structure of the base component 90

§ 2.3.4 Context-sensitive subcategorization rules 97

§ 3 An Illustrative Fragment of the Base Component 115

§ 4 Types of Base Rules 119

§ 4.1 Summary 119

§ 4.2 Selectional rules and grammatical relations 121

§ 4.3 Further remarks on subcategorization rules 128

§ 4.4 The role of categorial rules 132

3 Deep Structures and Grammatical Transformations 137

4 Some Residual Problems 159

§ 1 The Boundaries of Syntax and Semantics 159

§ 1.1 Degrees of grammaticalness 159

§ 1.2 Further remarks on selectional rules 165

§ 1.3 Some additional problems of semantic theory 171

§ 2 The Structure of the Lexicon 176

§ 2.1 Redundancy 176

§ 2.2 Inflectional processes 183

§ 2.3 Derivational processes 197

Notes 207

Bibliography 253

Index 265

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"... Chomsky's ideas are not a mere rephrasing or continuation of previous linguistic theories, but constitute a truly fresh and revolutionary approach to the study of language." The Modern Language Journal

The MIT Press

"It will inevitably dominate linguistic discussion for the next few years... and will be widely discussed... by all those concerned in any way with the investigation of language." The Philosophical Quarterly

The MIT Press

"... the book certainly is very important and very useful, because it is not only very rich in ideas itself, but because it will also certainly stimulate research of problems which were rather neglected in the past decades." Archiv Orientaini

The MIT Press

"This book will certainly be essential for an understanding of the structure of language viewed from the syntactic point of view." The Review of Metaphysics

The MIT Press

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