乔姆斯基语言观

On C homsky’s View of Language

Abstract: As a pioneer linguist，Noam Chomsky enjoys a position within linguistics probably unprecedented in the whole history of the subject. From his first book Syntactic Structures, published in 1957, he has been engaged in the linguistic study and brought many innovative ideas to linguistics, especially in the aspects of grammatical theory. His theory of grammar is undoubtedly the most dynamic and influential.This thesis reviews the development of Chomsky’s linguistic the ories and its philosophical foundation for linguistics, including his major contributions, like the theory of transformational-generative grammar that revolutionalized the scientific study of language. This systematic and historical overview of his linguistic studies will surely help to get a deeper understanding of Chomsky’s academic contributions and give a mathematically precise description of some of the most striking features of language.

Key words: view of language; philosophical foundation for linguistics

1.Introduction

Noam Chomsky is one of the most influential thinkers of modern times. The most cited writer in the humanities, his work has revolutionized the field of linguistics, and has dominated many other disciplines including politics and the philosophy of mind and human nature. He has also contributed significantly to our understanding of the abuse of power, and of the controlling effects of the mass media.

Since the very day on which Chomsky’s theories were established, there have been many arguments. There are many faithful followers,

while some people are radical objectors. Many researches have been made on his linguistic ideas and there have been quite a few breakthroughs. However, most of the study is limited to a certain developmental period of his theories, or an introduction of a certain theoretical work.

This thesis aims to make an exploration of Chomsky’s linguistic ideas, which makes up for the limitation of previous researches. This is not only an exploration of a great linguist’s the ory, but also an exploration of the linguistic development since 1957. By doing this research, we can absorb some conducive experience and study methods.

In the following chapter, I will make a comprehensive study of Chomsky’s linguistic revolution, namely the transformational grammar. In Chapter Three, we can see the major developmental phases of Chomsky’s linguistic ideas, from the transformational grammar, to Standard Theory, Extended Standard Theory, REST, GB to Minimalist Program. Chapter Four focuses on the philosophical foundation of his linguistic concept, which constitutes the bedrock on which the rest is built. In the last chapter, I will summarize the creative findings and the significance of them, including the great impact on the past and present linguistic study and the outlook of future development.

2.Chomsky and His Linguistic Ideas

2.1 Biography

Noam Chomsky was born on December 7, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His undergraduate and graduate years were spent at the University of Pennsylvania where he received his PhD in linguistics in 1955. During the years 1951 to 1955, Chomsky was a Junior Fellow of the Harvard University Society of Fellows. While a Junior Fellow he