Chomsky's 'Aspects of the Theory of Syntax': An Online Visual Representation of Key Concepts

* All topics and subtopics are parts or processes of the syntactic component of generative grammar unless otherwise stated.

This graph is a direct representation of the concepts presented by Chomsky. Included below are direct quotes, taken from “Aspects of the Theory of Syntax,” which explain each component of grammar and separated in regard to the component they describe.

• Base Part (of Syntactic Component) - “A system of rules that generate a highly restricted (perhaps finite) set of basic strings.” (Chomsky, 17).
• Base Strings – “Each [has] an associated structural description called a base Phrase-marker” (Chomsky, 17); “The natural mechanism for generating Phrase-markers…is a system of rewriting rules. A rewriting rule is a rule of the form A → Z/X – Y.” (Chomsky, 66).
• Deep Structure – “…we define ‘deep structures’ as ‘structures generated by the base component…’” (Chomsky, 136); “A deep structure is a generalized Phrase-marker underlying some well-formed surface structure.” (Chomsky, 138). (Chomsky, 16).
• Generative Grammar – “…does not rely on the intelligence of the understanding reader but rather provides an explicit analysis of his contribution.” (Chomsky, 4); “A system of rules that in some explicit and well-defined way assigns structural descriptions to sentences.” (Chomsky, 8); “A generative grammar is not a modal for a speaker or a hearer. It attempts to characterize in the most neutral possible terms the knowledge of the language that provides the basis for actual use of language by a speaker-hearer.” (Chomsky, 9); “…the output of an acquisition model for language.” (Chomsky, 57); “…can be regarded only as a characterization of the intrinsic tacit knowledge or competence that underlies actual performance.” (Chomsky, 140).
• Phonological Component – “…determines the phonetic form of a sentence generated by the syntactic component. That is, it relates a structure generated by the syntactic component to a phonetically represented signal.” (Chomsky, 16).
• Phrase Markers – “The elementary units of which deep structures are constituted.” (Chomsky, 17); “Underlying each sentence of the language there is a sequence of base Phrase-markers, each generated by the base of the syntactic component.” (Chomsky, 17).
• Semantic Component – “…determines the semantic interpretation of a sentence. That is, it relates a structure generated by the syntactic component to a certain semantic representation.” (Chomsky, 16).
• Surface Structure – “…is interpreted…by the phonological component.” (Chomsky, 16).
• Syntactic Component – “The syntactic component specifies an infinite set of abstract formal objects, each of which incorporates all information relevant to a single interpretation of a particular sentence.” (Chomsky, 16); “…must specify, for each sentence, a deep structure that determines its semantic interpretation and a surface structure that determines its phonetic interpretation.” (Chomsky, 16); “…must generate deep and surface structures, for each sentence, and must interrelate them.” (Chomsky, 17); “… consists of a base that generates deep structures and a transformational part that maps them into surface structures.” (Chomsky, 135).
• Transformational Part (of Syntactic Component) – “This is concerned with generating a sentence, with its surface structure, from its basis [which he defines as the sequence of base Phrase-markers which the base generates].” (Chomsky, 17); “The transformational component is solely interpretive.” (Chomsky, 137).

Noteworthy Passages:

• “Real progress in linguistics consists in the discovery that certain features of given languages can be reduced to universal properties of language, and explained in terms of these deeper aspects of linguistic form.” (Chomsky, 35).
• “The basis of a sentence [is] the sequence of base Phrase-markers that underlies it. The basis of a sentence is mapped into the sentence by the transformational rules, which, furthermore, automatically assign to the sentence a derived Phrase-marker (ultimately, a surface structure) in the process.” (Chomsky, 128).
• “The final effect of a grammar, then, is to relate a semantic interpretation to a phonetic representation – that is, to state how a sentence is interpreted. This relation is mediated by the syntactic component of the grammar, which constitutes its sole “creative” part. (Chomsky, 136).
• “The transformational rules act as a ‘filter’ that permits only certain generalized Phrase-markers to qualify as deep structures.” (Chomsky, 139).

Final Comments:

The term “Generative Grammar” is defended by Chomsky in the first section of the first chapter of “Aspects of the Theory of Syntax.” He explains it to be an effective translation of the original German term of “erzeugen” which was coined by Humboldt.

Students studying “Aspects of the Theory of Syntax” should read the full text in order to gain a complete picture of all the concepts discussed within. This website serves simply to help summarize main concepts for use in an academic setting or for one’s personal growth. It is by no means a complete representation of Chomsky’s work. A fuller background can only be obtained by reading the full work. More explanation is there afforded to assumptions behind the proposals, grammaticalness/acceptability, limitations of other grammars, examples, and the potential for formal and substantive linguistic universals. There is also a deep discussion of Phrase-markers (specifically in chapter 2, section 2), which are integral to understanding the concepts.

Source:

Chomsky, N. (1965). Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. Cambridge: The M.I.T. Press.