Generativism refers to the theory of language developed by Noam Chomsky and his followers. It holds that language is innate and that humans possess a language acquisition device. Chomsky argued against behaviorism, proposing that language is not acquired through stimulus-response conditioning alone. Generativism distinguishes between competence, one's innate linguistic knowledge, and performance, how language is produced and understood. It views language as rule-governed and creative. Generative grammar generates an infinite set of sentences from a finite set of rules. Generativism has significantly influenced the fields of linguistics, philosophy, psychology and other disciplines concerned with language.
This presentation is an introduction to some classic definitions and concepts in second language Acquisition. It is part of the seminar on applied linguistics offered at Universidad del Valle.
Critical Language Awareness commonly described CLA is a prerequisite technique to Critical Discourse Analysis. CLA is primarily an understanding that makes us competent socially, politically, ideologically and among various discourses and contexts of different linguistic variations.
This presentation is an introduction to some classic definitions and concepts in second language Acquisition. It is part of the seminar on applied linguistics offered at Universidad del Valle.
Critical Language Awareness commonly described CLA is a prerequisite technique to Critical Discourse Analysis. CLA is primarily an understanding that makes us competent socially, politically, ideologically and among various discourses and contexts of different linguistic variations.
One of the most fundamental questions asked in Philosophy of Language is "What is language (in general terms)?"
According to semiotics (the study of sign processes in communication, and of how meaning is constructed and understood), language is the mere manipulation and use of symbols in order to draw attention to signified content, in which case humans would not be the sole possessors of language skills.
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
The Art Pastor's Guide to Sabbath | Steve ThomasonSteve Thomason
What is the purpose of the Sabbath Law in the Torah. It is interesting to compare how the context of the law shifts from Exodus to Deuteronomy. Who gets to rest, and why?
Instructions for Submissions thorugh G- Classroom.pptxJheel Barad
This presentation provides a briefing on how to upload submissions and documents in Google Classroom. It was prepared as part of an orientation for new Sainik School in-service teacher trainees. As a training officer, my goal is to ensure that you are comfortable and proficient with this essential tool for managing assignments and fostering student engagement.
Ethnobotany and Ethnopharmacology:
Ethnobotany in herbal drug evaluation,
Impact of Ethnobotany in traditional medicine,
New development in herbals,
Bio-prospecting tools for drug discovery,
Role of Ethnopharmacology in drug evaluation,
Reverse Pharmacology.
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
2. To whom this term “GENERATIVISM” refers?
7/20/2014 2
Avram Noam Chomsky • Dec 7 1928
• American Linguist, Philosopher,
Cognitive Scientist, Logician,
Activist
• Highly credited for the
development of Generativism
• Has a significant impact on the
intellectual community since the
mid 20th Century
• Development of the Theories
of generative grammar
• Classification of formal
language properties in the
Chomsky Hierarchy
• Critiques of the school of
Behaviorism
History
What
Contributions
3. BACKGROUND & DEVELOPMENT
Generativism is rejection of B.F.Skinner’s Behaviourism and
usually presented as having developed out of and in reaction
to the previously dominant school of post-Bloomfieldian
American descriptivism: a particular version of structuralism.
Up to a point, it is historically justifiable to see the origin of
generativism within linguistics in this light. But, as Chomsky
himslef came to realize later, there are many respects in which
generativism constitutes a return to older and more traditional
views about language.
7/20/2014 3
4. GENERATIVISM
The term “Generativism” is being used here to refer to the
theory of language that has been developed, over the years or
so, by Avram Noam Chomsky and his followers.
Indeed, relatively few of the linguists, who were impressed by
the technical advantages and heuristic value of Chmsky’s
system of transformational-generative grammar when he
first put this forward in the late 1950s, have ever explicitly
associated themselves with the body of assumptions and
doctrines that is now identifiable as Generativism.
7/20/2014 4
5. GENERATIVISM
Chomsky pointed out poverty of stimulus for the acquisition of language.
He was against stimulus play vital role in language learning.
He held hypothesis that language is free from stimulus control.
He opines that human language is innate and pre-wired in human brain.
A child acquires language in three years.
Language Acquisition Device (LAD) is the prime source of learning
language.
The innate body of linguistic knowledge is termed as “Universal Grammar”
(UG).
Strongest evidence for the existence of UG is simply the fact that children
successfully acquire their native language in a short time.
7/20/2014 5
7. GENERATIVISM
The competence-performance distinction is at the heart of
generativism.
Distinction between competence & performance similar to
Saussure’s distinction between langue and parole
Chomskyan generativism closer to Saussurean and Post-
Saussurean structuralim
7/20/2014 7
Competence & Performance
8. GENERATIVISM
Creativity, in Chomsky’s view, is a peculiarly human
attribute, which distinguishes men from machine and as far as
we know from animals.
It is rule governed creativity and this is where generative
grammar comes into own.
The utterances that we produce have a certain grammatical
structure: they conform to identifiable rules of well-formedness.
7/20/2014 8
Creativity & Productiviy
9. GENERATIVISM
Productivitymakes possible exercise of creativity.
Productivity is not to be identified with creativity but there is an
intrinsic connection between them.
7/20/2014 9
Creatiivity & Productiviy
10. GENERATIVISM
"Generativism can designate an approach for
relating language to the intuitive knowledge of
speakers and to the mental capacities of
humans at large.”
(Robert de Beaugrande)
Mid - Late 20th Century (1960s)
7/20/2014 10
11. GENERATIVE GRAMMAR
This term was used in 1950s by Chomsky.
Generative Grammar is a grammar in which a set of formal
rules are used to generate or define the membership of an
infinite set of grammatical sentences in a language. Instead of
analyzing a single sentence, this grammar devises a set of rules
of construction that may help in generating sentences or
structures in an infinitely large number. This grammar attempts
to produce all and only grammatical sentences of language.
(all and only means that our analysis must account for all the
grammatical correct phrases and sentences and only those
grammatical correct phrases and sentences in whatever
language we are analyzing.)
7/20/2014 11
12. GENERATIVE GRAMMAR
We have a rule such as “a prepositional phrase in English
consists of a preposition followed by a noun phrase”. We can
produce a large number of (infinite) phrase using this rule.
e.g. in the zoo, on the table, near the window
7/20/2014 12
EXAMPLE:
13. BEHAVIOURISM
Behavioural theory remained dominant in the first half of 20th
century. It is an approach to psychology and learning. It stresses
on observable and measureable behaviours. In behaviourism,
the learners are viewed as passively adopting to their
environment.
According to the belief of the theory, free will is an illusion. In
other words, human beings are shaped entirely by their external
environment.
The behaviourists, tried to explain learning without refering to
mental process. This theory sees the language learner as
“Tabula Rasa” (blank slate).
7/20/2014 13
14. GENERATIVISM OBJECTS BEHAVIOURISM
Chomsky has done more than anyone else to demonstrate the
sterility of the behaviourists’ theory of language.
He has pointed out that much of the technical vocabulary of
behaviourism (‘stimulus’, ‘response’, ‘conditioning’,
‘reinforcement’ etc.), if taken seriously, cannot be shown to
have any relevance to the acquisition and the use of language.
7/20/2014 14
15. INFLUENCE OF GENERATIVISM ON
LINGUISTICS AND OTHER DISCIPLINES
Generativism has been enormously influential, not only in
linguistics, but also in philosophy, psychology and other
disciplines concerned with language.
Influence of Chomskyan generativism upon all modern
linguistics theory has been so deep and so pervasive that even
those who reject this or that aspects of it tend to do so in terms
that Chomsky has made available to them.
7/20/2014 15
16. SOURCE
“Language and Linguistics” by John Lyons
“Syntactic Structures” by Avram Noam Chomsky
eka1.wordpress.com
www.ualberta.ca
www.unm.edu
www.wikipedia.org
7/20/2014 16