-
The Birth of Noam Chomsky
On December 7th 1928 Doctor Noam Chomsky was born in Philadelphia. Upon his graduation he studied at the University of Pennsylvania, and would do his post graduate work at the Harvard Society of Fellows. During this time he would develop the Theory of Transformational Grammar which would he would earn his doctorate in 1955. Once he earned his doctorate he would go on to teach at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and many other higher education institutions. -
Period: to
The Life and Contributions of Noam Chomsky
-
Surface Structure
With the publication of Aspects of the Theory of Syntax Dr. Chomsky would propose that there are two parts of any sentence that we speak. Firstly I would like to cover what is called the "Surface Structure". Overall the surface structure is the sentence that we hear or in essence how we express what is known as the "Deep Structure". This surface structure is obviously the "Surface" of what we say. Such as "Have a nice day", or other common phrases that we're used to hearing. -
Aspects of the Theory of Syntax
In 1965 Dr. Chomsky wrote the book titled "Aspects of the Theory of Syntax". This book would lay down a new framework and approach to the field of linguistics. This framework would allow other philosophers to explore the human language and the human mind. He would also contribute greatly to a major methodological shift in the Human Sciences. -
Deep Structure
When we look past the Surface Structure we start to see that we get into the Deep Structure. This structure is what we want to express through our surface structure. Just like how someone may express something the wrong way and not even think about it. I'm pretty sure that we have all had a slip of the tongue where we accidentally said something the "wrong" way and didn't express the deep structure properly with our surface structure. -
Sources
“Rule Systems in Chomskyan Theories of Language.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Noam-Chomsky/Rule-systems-in-Chomskyan-theories-of-language. Chomsky, Noam. “Aspects of the Theory of Syntax.” Aspects of the Theory of Syntax, 50th ed., vol. 11, The MIT Press, 2014. Nitin Shah. “Surface vs Deep Structure - NLP Meta Model.” ICHARS, Nitin Shah, 22 Oct. 2019, instituteofclinicalhypnosis.com/nlp/difference-between-deep-and-surface-structure-nlp/. -
Sources Continued
Scholz, Barbara C., et al. “Philosophy of Linguistics.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 2 Mar. 2022, plato.stanford.edu/entries/linguistics/. Ott, Dennis. "REVIEWS: The Minimalist Program, 20th Anniversary Edition. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Pp. Xiii + 393. Noam Chomsky,. 2015 .; Aspects of the Theory of Syntax, 50th Anniversary Edition. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Pp. Xx + 270. US $28 (Softcover)." Canadian Journal of Linguistics 64.3 (2019): 559-64.