Definition of Transformational Generative Grammar

Theory according to the explanation of linguistic questions, which raised the innate capacity for the acquisition of language, the grammatical autonomy over other cognitive systems, the existence of what was called an "organ of language" and a grammar universal.

Quote (APA)

Indira Ahmed Fernandez | Jul. 2022
Bachelor of Hispanic Letters

Within linguistic studies, syntax became important in terms of the study of the position of each element in the sentence to make sense, and thus fulfill the communicative function of both oral language and language. written. Noam Chomsky placed this discipline in the spotlight of language studies. Before that, the linguistics it focused on the structure, considered as reality independently of the abilities of the subject.

Chomsky's Transformational Generative Grammar revolutionized several key points in linguistics, raising the questions:

- How is it possible to build an infinite number of sentences if you have a finite number of morphemes and phonemes?
- Why is there speed? learning of a language, even though the verbal stimulation of educators is poor?

Linguistic competence and linguistic performance

For Chomsky, every individual endowed with the faculty of language has the ability to express himself in his own language. in such a way that he is understood, in addition to understanding and interpreting what another individual in his community can communicate. In this case, he refers that we are all capable of knowing the language, understanding by this knowledge not the scientific aspect of it, but the necessary mechanisms for communication.

This process is internal, but it is externalized in each linguistic act (understanding as such each act of speech or writing). This apparent opposition is the first thing that he considers the author for his theory, closely related to the Saussurean differentiation of language / speech.

The competition Linguistics is the ability to associate sounds and meanings according to unconscious and automatic rules. For its part, the performance or linguistic manifestation is the interpretation and understanding of sentences in accordance with competition, but regulated by extralinguistic principles such as the regulation of memory or even beliefs. Chomsky shows that it is not possible to separate the research linguistics of psychological research, since in the manifestation of language or competence of each individual can decisively influence their system of beliefs and conditions social.

History of the GGT and opposition to Bloomfield

Noam Chomsky builds a strong critique of Leonard Bloomfield's behavioral theory, which is based only on texts to establish relationships. For Bloomfield the linguistic method implied: observation, order the observations, enunciate hypothesis, calculate and predict, and check predictions. This allows a high degree of abstraction and generalization.

However, for Chomsky the linguistic analysis is provisional (for him the general theory and the grammars are not definitive and are subject to revision). This first conception also agrees with the observation that language is like a living being, that it varies with time, the use and the circumstances of the speakers – a fact demonstrated by the conspicuous differences between archaic Spanish and Spanish modern. He also considers that for the search of data hypotheses are necessary.

The dynamic vision of this theory consists for the linguist in finding the practical system that implies this competence (communicative) and that is expressed in the form of rules (grammars). With this, the Generative Grammar allows to build each and every one of the manifestations of a language, through a set of rules.

Regarding the theory of Generative Grammar, there were three formulations: I, II and III.

The first formulation proposes the existence of a "language acquisition device" (LAD). English), which can “generate any sentence from any natural language by connecting sounds and meanings”. This is mental and abstract and appears in the book Syntactic Structures (Chomsky, 1957).

Although this "device" cannot be applied, since it reacts automatically to linguistic stimuli, determines that the acquisition of the mother tongue happens unconsciously and uncontrollably in young children.

In the second formulation, the author refers to the sentence structure, which he describes as the level of representation of the grammatical sentences of a language. Sentences are a set of strings represented by a diagram that describes them structurally.

For the third moment, the existence of a superficial structure and a deep structure stands out. Since he describes the syntactic, semantic, and phonological components of language, the former generates the deep structure, which the semantic level must interpret. For example:

Sara has a cat is an underlying structure that corresponds to the surface structure: Sara's cat.

The GGT has even been applied in different areas of scientific research, since its concepts can be applied to any form of language (example: script language). programming). Although some limitations can be pointed out, such as the fact of referring to idealized speakers-listeners (who know and express the language perfectly, and never make mistakes), Chomsky's studies constitute a gigantic advance in the studies linguistic.

Until the time of the formulation of this theory, grammar was conceived as an element that, far from helping the performance of the speakers, slowed it down and prevented its development. It also helped, as mentioned before, the conception of language as something alive that grows and develops with the free use of the community. He also established as indisputable the competence of the human being to communicate.