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Noam Chomsky|Early Life
Noam Chomsky's full name is Avram Noam Chomsky, born on December 7, 1928, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was born into a middle-class Jewish family and attended an experimental elementary school where he developed his interests and talents through self-directed learning. (McGilvray, 2022) -
Chomsky's Early Development
At ten years old, Chomsky wrote his first article on the dangers of the spread of fascism and the fall of Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War (Lamb, 2019). It sparked a greater interest in socialism and politics, and he began identifying as an anarchist after three years. -
Chomsky Early Education
At age 16, Chomsky attended the University of Pennsylvania as a linguistics, mathematics, and philosophy student. He paid for his education by teaching Hebrew, and despite the challenges he faced after meeting Russia-born linguist Zeilig Harris, he was persuaded to major in theoretical linguistics and received his M.A in 1951(Lamb, 2019) -
Chomsky First Marriage
In 1949, he married Carol Doris Schatz Chomsky, an American linguist and education specialist who studied language acquisition in children. Died from cancer in 2008 at the age of 78. They had three children two daughters and one son. (McGilvray, 2022) -
Doctorate Degree
In 1955, Chomsky earned his doctorate at Harvard University for his theory of transformational grammar. -
Noam Chomsky| First Published Book
In 1957, His first published book, "Syntactic Structures, " discussed a formal theory of linguistics that distinguished between syntax, the structure of language, and semantics, the meaning. Despite the hostile dismission of the bool by other linguistics, it was later recognized as a volume that aided in revolutionizing the scientific study of linguistics. (Lamb, 2019) That same year he was an assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) -
Anti-War Activist
At the beginning of 1962, Chomsky protests against the U.S involvement in the Vietnam War. He first started speaking publically of his views in a small gathering. (McGilvray, 2022) -
Anti-War Essay
In 1967, the anti-war essay was later published as "The Responsibility of Intellectuals" in "The New York Review of Books." Although, he was the main one who helped form the anti-war intellectual collective RESIST that same year. (Lamb, 2019) -
Modern Linguistics Pioneer
In the 1970 and 1980s, Chomsky continues to expand and update his theories of language and grammar. The framework he presented was the "principle and parameters." They were basic structural features presenting a universal natural language focusing on the natively present in a child's mind. The presence of these principles aided in explaining the rapid acquisition of language facilities among young children. (McGilvray, 2022) -
Noam Chomsky|Political Work
In 1980, despite his work in linguistics, he remained committed to its political dissident. Showing his opposite views of the U.S support of the Contras in the fight with the Nicaraguan Sandinista government. -
Noam Chomsky| "The Fateful Triangle"
In 1983, Chomsky wrote a book called "The Fateful Triangle," which challenged the U.S government using the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. (Lamb, 2019) -
Noam Chomsky| Retires but Endures
In 2002, Noam Chomsky retired from MIT but continued to conduct research and held seminars as an emeritus faculty member. He is a renowned defender of socialism and anti-imperialism, authoring over 100 books on topics from linguistics to war and mass media. (McGilvray, 2022) -
Noam Chomsky|Remarries, 2014-Present
Remarried Valeria Wasserman in 2014; she is a Brazilian Translator. -
Noam Chomsky| MacBride Peace Prize
In 2017, he earned the Sean MacBride Peace Prize from the International Peace Bureau. -
Noam Chomsky|Legacy
Today Noam Chomsky continues to be a respected linguist even with his controvertible ideology. Noam Chomsky would consistently be recognized as an American linguist, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, philosophy expert, and famously called "the Father of Modern Linguistics."