Transformational Generative Grammar Quiz

Transformational Grammar and Linguistics

• The concept of transformations in linguistics is credited to Noam Chomsky.

Transformational Grammar

• Transformational grammar is a theory of grammar that posits that sentences have two levels of representation: deep structure and surface structure.

Humanistic Grammarians

• Humanistic grammarians who developed transformational analysis include Sanctius.

Semantics vs. Syntax

• Semantics deals with the meaning of sentences, while syntax deals with the arrangement of words to form sentences.

Generative Algebra

• Generative algebra is a mathematical approach to linguistics that deals with the study of grammar.

Functional Grammar

• Functional grammar is a linguistic theory that focuses on the functional relationships between elements in a sentence.

Historical Context of Transformational Analysis

• Transformational analysis has its roots in Renaissance linguistics, which emphasized the importance of understanding the underlying structure of language.

Humanistic Classics vs. Universal Grammar

• The humanistic classics viewed language as a product of culture and history, whereas the modern notion of universal grammar views language as an innate human ability.

Types of Rules in Transformational Generative Grammar

• There are two types of rules in transformational generative grammar: phrase structure rules and transformational rules.

Katz and Fodor's Research

• Katz and Fodor's research on English grammar employed a semantic theory that tried to relate the meaning of sentences to their syntactic structure.
• However, their findings could not be generalized cross-linguistically.

Chomsky's Minimalist Program

• Chomsky's Minimalist Program is a linguistic theory that aims to simplify the theory of grammar by reducing it to its most basic elements.

Initial State of the Cognitive Language Faculty

• According to Chomsky, the initial state of the cognitive language faculty is an innate capacity for language acquisition.

Deep Structure and Surface Structure

• In Chomsky's theory, deep structure refers to the underlying representation of a sentence, while surface structure refers to the actual arrangement of words in a sentence.
• The difference between deep structure and surface structure is that deep structure represents the underlying meaning of a sentence, while surface structure represents the physical arrangement of words.

Elegance in Language

• The core observation about elegance in language is that language has an inherent beauty and simplicity that can be uncovered through linguistic analysis.

Agent and Patient

• The concept of agent and patient refers to the roles of entities in active and passive sentences.
• In active sentences, the agent performs the action, while in passive sentences, the patient receives the action.

Sanctius' View of Transformations

• According to Sanctius, transformations play a crucial role in language by allowing speakers to convey different meanings through different sentence structures.

Ferdinand de Saussure's Argument

• Ferdinand de Saussure argued for the importance of studying language as a system of signs and symbols.

Renaissance Linguistics vs. Transformational Grammar

• The transformational grammar of the 1960s differed from Renaissance linguistics in its focus on the underlying structure of language rather than its surface-level features.

Basis of Generative Linguistics

• According to Chomsky and his colleagues, the basis of generative linguistics is the idea that language is an innate human ability that can be studied scientifically.

Introduction of the Term 'Transformation'

• The term 'transformation' was introduced into linguistics through the work of Noam Chomsky.

Input for a Typical Transformation

• The input for a typical transformation in TG is a phrase structure representation of a sentence.

Purpose of Subject-Auxiliary Inversion (SAI) Transformation

• The purpose of the subject-auxiliary inversion (SAI) transformation is to form questions from declarative sentences.

Theory of Trees

• In some theories, transformations come to be viewed as holding over trees, which represent the syntactic structure of sentences.

Government and Binding Theory

• In the late 1980s, transformations became viewed as relations between nodes in a tree, according to government and binding theory.

Copying Constituents

• The type of transformation that adds information to already existing trees by copying constituents is called "copying transformations".

Earliest Conception of Transformations

• The earliest conception of transformations in linguistics dates back to the work of Sanctius.

Construction-Specific Transformations

• Construction-specific transformations morphed into a single general rule in the 1970s.

Test your knowledge of transformational generative grammar with this quiz! Challenge yourself to identify the two types of rules included in this theory and learn about the history of the concept. Keywords: transformational generative grammar, Chomsky, rules, phrase-structure, transformational.