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Generative Grammar's Grave Foundational Errors

Generative Grammar's Grave Foundational Errors - Empirical Approaches to Linguistic Theory

Hardback (30 Oct 2025)

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Publisher's Synopsis

This work critically examines Noam Chomsky's widely accepted ontological assumptions—now referred to as "biolinguistics"—and demonstrates that they are internally inconsistent. Notably, Chomsky himself has, at least once, acknowledged this issue. Additionally, we challenge a fundamental claim from Chomsky's linguistic theories of the 1950s: that natural languages, particularly English, operate on constructive (proof-theoretic) grammars, also known as generative grammars. This assertion fails to account for numerous linguistic structures that fall outside its framework. Finally, we scrutinize Chomsky's frequent assertion that "there is essentially only one language on Earth," revealing it to be more rhetorical than substantive. By exposing these foundational flaws, this work calls for a reassessment of key aspects of Chomskyan linguistics.

About the Publisher

Brill

Founded in 1683, Brill is a publishing house with a rich history and a strong international focus. The company's head office is in Leiden, (The Netherlands) with a branch office in Boston, Massachusetts (USA). Brill's publications focus on the Humanities and Social Sciences, International Law and selected areas in the Sciences.

Book information

ISBN: 9789004730915
Publisher: Brill
Imprint: Brill
Pub date:
Language: English
Weight: 1g
Height: 235mm
Width: 155mm