Generativism Grammar 2 PDF

📝 Generativism. Created @September 1, 2024 3:22 PM Class Grammar 2 Type Lecture In Generativism, language is seen as human-specific, meaning that it is what distinguishes humans from animals....

📝 Generativism. Created @September 1, 2024 3:22 PM Class Grammar 2 Type Lecture In Generativism, language is seen as human-specific, meaning that it is what distinguishes humans from animals. Generativism has as an object of study the knowledge that a speaker has of their own language and language acquisition. For Chomsky, said knowledge is called competence and the use of the language in the performance. Its grammar is seen as a set of rules and principles that can generate all the grammatical sentences of that language. A first requirement for any grammar is that it has to be observationally adequate, meaning that it must at least produce grammatical sentences and distinguish between grammatical and ungrammatical ones (that a sentence is grammatical does not mean that is acceptable by the native speaker nor that it is meaningful). A grammar is considered descriptively adequate if it is observationally adequate and it also accounts for native speakers' intuitions about which sentences are acceptable and which are not. Additionally, a theory reaches explanatory adequacy when it can explain how language is acquired, particularly given the "poverty of the stimulus," which refers to the idea that the linguistic input children receive is often insufficient to account for the full range of their linguistic knowledge. A central concept in generative grammar is Universal Grammar (UG), which is a system of all the principles that are common to all human languages. UG helps explain how children can rapidly and effectively acquire their native language, despite the limited and sometimes flawed linguistic input they receive. Within UG, there are parameters that allow for variation between languages. For example, the different word orders found in languages like English (SVO) and Japanese (SOV) Generativism. 1  can be explained by different parameter settings in UG. Language acquisition, then, involves the setting of these parameters based on the linguistic input a child receives. The UG plus the Primary Linguistic Data of a certain language (PLD) equal to the Primary Grammar (PG) of a person. Generative linguistics is inherently comparative, as it seeks to identify universal properties that are shared across languages, as well as those that are language- specific. By comparing different languages, generative linguists aim to determine which aspects of language are innate, as part of UG, and which are learned through experience. Chomsky says that language is individual. Idealization 1. ideal native speaker: does not have memory limitations nor does he make mistakes. 2. homogeneity of linguistic community 3. instantaneity of language acquisition. 1. Language as Human-Specific: Language is what distinguishes humans from animals, with human language being rich and versatile compared to animal communication systems. Linguistics, the study of language, provides insights into the human mind. 1. Linguistics and Grammar: Linguistics is defined as the science of language, aiming to formulate general principles to account for linguistic data. The goal of a linguist is to describe the grammar of a language, a systematic description that accounts for both well-formed (grammatical) and ill-formed (ungrammatical) sentences. 2. Generative Grammar: Generative grammar, developed within the Chomskian tradition, aims to explain the native speaker's intuitive knowledge of language (competence) and to generate all and only grammatical sentences. Generativism. 2  The grammar of a language is viewed as a set of rules and principles that generate all the grammatical sentences of that language. 3. Descriptive and Explanatory Adequacy: A grammar achieves descriptive adequacy if it accounts for the native speaker's intuitions about acceptability (whether a sentence feels right or wrong). Explanatory adequacy is reached when a theory can account for how language knowledge is acquired, particularly given the "poverty of the stimulus" (the idea that linguistic input is often insufficient to account for the knowledge speakers develop). 4. Universal Grammar (UG): Universal Grammar is the innate set of linguistic principles shared by all human languages. UG helps explain how children can acquire language so rapidly and with relatively little input. Parameters within UG allow for cross-linguistic variation, such as word order differences between languages like English and Japanese. 5. The Role of Parameters: Parameters are aspects of grammar that can vary between languages. For example, the word order in sentences (SVO in English vs. SOV in Japanese) is determined by a parameter setting within UG. Language acquisition involves setting these parameters based on the linguistic input a child receives. 6. Generative Linguistics as Comparative: Generative linguists compare different languages to determine universal properties and language-specific variations. This comparative approach helps identify which aspects of language are innate (part of UG) and which are learned. Generativism. 3  Language is a defining characteristic that distinguishes humans from animals. While animals have their own communication systems, none are as complex and versatile as human language. The study of language, known as linguistics, provides valuable insights into the human mind. Linguistics, as a science, seeks to understand and explain the general principles that govern language. One key goal of linguists is to describe the grammar of a language, which involves systematically characterizing the rules that determine the formation of well- formed (grammatical) sentences, while also identifying and explaining ill-formed (ungrammatical) ones. In the Chomskian tradition, generative grammar aims to explain the intuitive knowledge that native speakers have of their language (competence). This framework posits that the grammar of any language is a set of rules and principles that generate all possible grammatical sentences within that language. A grammar is considered descriptively adequate if it accounts for native speakers' intuitions about which sentences are acceptable and which are not. Additionally, a theory reaches explanatory adequacy when it can explain how language is acquired, particularly given the "poverty of the stimulus," which refers to the idea that the linguistic input children receive is often insufficient to account for the full range of their linguistic knowledge. A central concept in generative grammar is Universal Grammar (UG), which is a system of all the principles that are common to all human languages. UG helps explain how children can rapidly and effectively acquire their native language, despite the limited and sometimes flawed linguistic input they receive. Within UG, there are parameters that allow for variation between languages. For example, the different word orders found in languages like English (SVO) and Japanese (SOV) can be explained by different parameter settings in UG. Language acquisition, then, involves the setting of these parameters based on the linguistic input a child receives. The UG plus the Primary Linguistic Data of a certain language (PLD) equal to the Primary Grammar (PG) of a person. Generative linguistics is inherently comparative, as it seeks to identify universal properties that are shared across languages, as well as those that are language- specific. By comparing different languages, generative linguists aim to determine which aspects of language are innate, as part of UG, and which are learned through experience. Generativism. 4  Grammatical does not mean meaningful. It is not easy to process and just because a sentence is grammatical doesn't mean that it is acceptable (it is so when the native speaker says so) Observational adequacy. A first requirement for any grammar is is that it must be able to distinguish between strings of words which are sentences of the language from those which are not. Such a grammar will be observationally adequate. Descriptively adequacy. A grammar is descriptively adequate when it can produce grammatical sentences and it also takes into account the intuitions of the native speaker. Explanatory adequate. If a theory can account for the three following components, then it is said to have reached explanatory adequacy. 1. the principles of UG and the parametric variation across languages. 2. the triggering experience (exposure to the linguistic data) needed to activate the principles of UG. 3. if it can account for language acquisition. Generativism. 5