Generative grammar is a formal approach to linguistic theory that characterizes grammar as a system of rules or principles capable of generating and describing the structural properties of sentences in a language [1]. It aims to represent the implicit linguistic knowledge that enables speakers to produce and understand an unlimited number of grammatical expressions, treating grammatical competence as an abstract system distinct from particular instances of language use [1]. Generative grammar encompasses theories that analyze linguistic structure through formal mechanisms, including representations of syntax and the constraints governing possible grammatical structures [2].
- generative linguistics
- grammatical competence
- syntax
- formal grammar
Linguistics and Language Analysis • Language and Linguistics • Arts and Humanities • Social Sciences
References
- Chomsky, Noam. 1965. Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. MIT Press. https://www.colinphillips.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/chomsky1965-ch1.pdf
- James McCloskey; Noam Chomsky. Lectures on government and binding. The Pisa lectures. Studies in generative grammar, no. 9. Foris Publications, Dordrecht and Cinnaminson, N.J., 1981, ix + 371 pp. - Noam Chomsky. Lectures on government and binding. The Pisa lectures. Second edition of the preceding. Studies in generative grammar, no. 9. Foris Publications, Dordrecht and Cinnaminson, N.J., 1982, ix + 371 pp.. J. Symb. Log. 1986, 51, 238-240. [CrossRef]