Generative Grammar's Grave Foundational Errors

Inbunden, Engelska, 2025

Del 27 i serien Empirical Approaches to Linguistic Theory

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Beskrivning

This work examines Noam Chomsky's widely accepted ontological assumptions, now referred to as “biolinguistics”—and demonstrates that they are internally inconsistent. Notably, it is shown that Chomsky himself has at least once admitted this flaw. Additionally, the volume challenges a fundamental assumption from Chomsky’s 1950s linguistic writings. This is the claim that the grammars of natural languages, particularly of English, must be constructive (proof-theoretic) devices, usually called generative grammars. It is shown that this persistent view cannot in principal account for a multitude of linguistic structures realized as perfectly natural sentences.Finally, the work scrutinizes Chomsky’s frequent assertion that “there is essentially only one language spoken on Earth,” revealing it to have no actual substance.The exposition of these flaws calls for a reassessment of fundamental aspects of generative linguistics.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2025-08-14
Mått:155 x 235 x 18 mm
Vikt:468 g
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Serie:Empirical Approaches to Linguistic Theory
Antal sidor:192
Förlag:Brill
ISBN:9789004730915

Utforska kategorier

Språkvetenskap och lingvistik inom Språk och ordböcker

Mer om författaren

Paul M. Postal is a Ph.D. (Yale, 1963) and a former professor of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a former Research Staff Member at the IBM Research Center, a former professor of linguistics at the City University of New York and a former visiting scholar at New York University. He has published or edited eighteen books and dozens of articles on linguistic topics.

Innehållsförteckning

Editorial Foreword1 Introduction2 The Foundational Admission1 Background2 Incoherence3 Incoherence Highlighted4 The Admission: 15 The Admission: 26 The Analyticity Contradiction7 Biolinguistics vs. Katz’s Platonist Conception of Natural Language8 Natural Language and Knowledge of Natural Language9 Ethical Issues10 The Manufacture of Consent3 Natural Languages Are Not Generative SystemsPart 1: Generative BeginningsPart 2: Theoretically Ignored SentencesPart 3: Implications4 The One Language Claim1 A Deceptive Claim2 ‘Peripheral’/‘Minor’ Differences3 Space Alien Scientist Opinion4 Lack of Good Faith5 Lack of Motivation6 Conclusion5 ConclusionReferencesIndex