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Birth
Avram Noam Chomsky was born into a middle-class Jewish family on December 7, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. -
Began College
At the age of 16, Chomsky entered college at the University of Pennsylvania. -
Introduction to Zellig S. Harris
Chomsky was about to leave college due to its lack of interest to him. However, after two years he met Zellig S. Harris, an American scholar. Chomsky believed that the basis of language was innate in every human’s mind and Harris was inspired by this. Harris taught and encouraged Chomsky to go on to receive his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree through non-traditional methods. -
Married
Chomsky married Carol Schatz, a education specialists in 1949. They were together for 59 years and had three children. She passed away from cancer in 2008. -
Professor at MIT
In 1951 Chomsky was invited to teach at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He taught in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy for over 50 years. During his time as a professor, he introduced transformational grammar into the linguistics field of study. Additionally, he developed the Chomsky Hierarchy. It is a method that divides grammar into groups based on expressiveness. His findings connect linguistics into psychology and philosophy. -
PhD
In 1075 Chomsky submitted his thesis titled “Transformational Analysis”. Part of that was publishing “The Logical Structure of Linguistic Theory”. This became a major work in the linguistic community. Upon completion of his thesis he was awarded his PhD. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdUbIlwHRkY -
Retired
Chomsky retired as professor emeritus from MIT in 2002.
Sources for timeline:
McGilvray, James A.. "Noam Chomsky". Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Dec. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Noam-Chomsky. Accessed 9 May 2021.
“Noam Chomsky.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 20 Apr. 2021, www.biography.com/scholar/noam-chomsky.