66. Generative grammar and minimalism.

Generative grammar - In theoretical linguistics, generative grammar refers to a particular approach to the study of syntax. A generative grammar of a language attempts to give a set of rules that will correctly predict which combinations of words will form grammatical sentences. In most approaches to generative grammar, the rules will also predict the morphology of a sentence.

Generative grammar originates in the work of Noam Chomsky, beginning in the late 1950s. Early versions of Chomsky's theory were called transformational grammar, and this term is still used as a collective term that includes his subsequent theories. There are a number of competing versions of generative grammar currently practiced within linguistics. Chomsky's current theory is known as the Minimalist program.

Chomsky has argued that many of the properties of a generative grammar arise from an "innate" universal grammar. Proponents of generative grammar have argued that most grammar is not the result of communicative function and is not simply learned from the environment. In this respect, generative grammar takes a point of view different from cognitive grammar, functional and behaviorist theories.

Minimalism - grammar should be as simple as possible. Much of the work in syntax in the 1980s involved the postulation of ever more complex structures and principles: as a reaction to the excessive complexity of this kind of work. Chomsky in the 1990s has made minimalism (i.e. the requirement to minimize the theoretical and descriptive apparatus used to describe language) the cornerstone of linguistic theory. The minimalist program for linguistic theory which has been developing (cf Chomsky 1995) is motivated to a large extent by the desire to minimize the acquisition burden placed on the child, and thereby maximize the learnability of natural language grammars.

grammar a) the study of the principles which govern the formation and interpretation of words, phrases and sentences;

b) a model of the fluent native speaker's competence

Grammar is traditionally divided into two branches:

• morphology - the study of formation and interpretation of words

• syntax - the study of formation and interpretation of phrases and sentences

Every native speaker of a given language has got a tacit (= subconscious) knowledge of the

grammar of that language, i.e. grammatical competence.

grammatical competence the fluent native speaker's tacit knowledge of the grammar of a language

performance: the actual use of language in concrete situations

Very often, performance is an imperfect reflection of competence and can be impaired by factors such as tiredness, boredom, drunkenness, etc., resulting in performance errors. Grammar is concerned with competence rather than performance.

As grammatical competence denotes what native speakers tacitly know about grammar of their language, grammar is part of more general study of cognition.

Chomsky:

Language is a cognitive system internalised within the human brain (mind) - I-language. Native speakers are able to make grammaticality judgements about words, phrases and sentences in their native language, i.e. judge whether particular expressions are grammatical or ungrammatical within their native language.

Criteria for making an adequate theory of grammar of a language:

• descriptive adequacy - correctly describes whether any given string of words in a language is or isn't grammatical and its interpretation(s)

• universality - provides with tools needed to describe the grammar of any natural language adequately

• explanatory adequacy - explains why grammars have particular properties (why particular rules are used in a language and not other)

• restrictiveness - provides with technical devices which are so constrained in their expressive power that they can only be used to describe natural languages

• learnability - provides grammars which are learnable by young children in a relatively short period of time

• minimalist - provides grammars which make use of the minimal theoretical apparatus required to provide a descriptively adequate characterisation of linguistic phenomena (should be ass simple as possible - Ockham's razor)

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