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Syntactic Structures
While working at MIT, Noam published his first book, Syntactic Structures. This book discussed the theory of linguistics, the structure of the sentence, and the meaning. Syntax and Semantics. Each sentence should follow a set of rules. This book wasn’t accepted by most people at first. “Most academic linguists either dismissed the book or were openly hostile to it. Later, it was recognized as a volume that revolutionized the scientific study of linguistics.” (Lamb, 2020) -
Language in Humans
"He has resurrected the theory of innate ideas, demonstrating that a substantial part of our knowledge is genetically determined." (Barman, p. 105) Chomsky believed that humans are born with some innate ability to process language and the structure of sentences. He says this is the reason that children learn languages easier than adults. This theory led to more questions being raised within psychology. This information led to a giant leap in linguistics and an understanding of how they work. -
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Chomsky and Politics
Chomsky turned his attention to politics, he joined protests against the U.S being involved in the Vietnam War. He began writing political books and essays. Throughout the years he visited North Vietnam and spoke in Hanoi at the University of Science and Technology. He then toured refugee camps in Laos. “The anti-war activism earned him a place on President Richard Nixon's list of political opponents.” (Lamb, 2020) -
Current Chomsky
Noam Chomsky still remains critical of things going on in our world. He heavily criticizes our President and how he handles events. These include COVID and global warming. Chomsky stays relevant to this day whether it be linguistics-focused or in politics. He is currently working at the University of Arizona in the Linguistics Department. His latest interview that stuck out to me was in June of this year, he speaks about the injustice President Trump is doing to Climate Change.