Chomsky's minimalism

Author(s)

• Seuren, Pieter A. M.

Bibliographic Information

Chomsky's minimalism

Pieter A.M. Seuren

Oxford University Press, 2004

• : pbk

Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. 231-237) and index

HTTP:URL=http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip047/2003017662.html Information=Table of contents

Contents of Works

• 1. Introduction
• 2. The mechanism of the MP under scrutiny
• 3. The language faculty
• 4. Questions of method and adequacy
• 5. What is functional about the MP?
• 6. What is conceptually necessary about the MP?
• 7. Surface-driven elements of semantic interpretation
• 8. The embarrassment of evidence

Description and Table of Contents

Volume

ISBN 9780195173055

Description

This title argues that Noam Chomsky's Minimalist Program is deeply flawed. Seuren points to the original acrimonious split in the 1960s and 1970s between Chomsky's generative grammar and the alternative generative semantics proposed by his followers, and argues that the latter theory was sounder and unfairly suppressed.

Volume

: pbk ISBN 9780195173062

Description

Noam Chomsky's current theory, published in 1995, is known as The Minimalist Program and has been presented as his crowning achievement. Minimalism has spawned in linguistics an entire research program, despite being fundamentally misguided, according to distinguished linguist and philosopher of language Pieter Seuren. Seuren's accessible and spirited attack argues that the Minimalist Program is deeply flawed. Seuren points to the original acrimonious split in the 1960s and 1970s between Chomsky's generative grammar and the alternative generative semantics proposed by his followers, and argues that the latter theory was sounder and unfairly suppressed. Seuren maintains that this suppression, and the cult surrounding Chomsky and Minimalism more generally, has done great damage to linguistics by impairing open discussion of empirical issues and excluding valid alternatives.

Table of Contents

1: Introduction 2: The Mechanism of the MP under Scrutiny 3: The Language Faculty 4: Questions of Method and Adequacy 5: What Is Functional about the MP? 6: What Is Conceptually Necessary about the MP? 7: Surface-Driven Elements of Semantic Interpretation 8: The Embarrassment of Evidence References Index

by "Nielsen BookData"

• NCID: BA6851237X
• ISBN:
  • 0195173058
  • 0195173066
• LCCN: 2003017662
• Country Code: us
• Title Language Code: eng
• Text Language Code: eng
• Place of Publication: New York
• Pages/Volumes: viii, 244 p.
• Size: 21 cm
• Classification:
  • LCC : P158.28
  • DC22 : 415/.0182
• Subject Headings:
  • LCSH : Minimalist theory (Linguistics)
  • LCSH : Generative grammar
  • LCSH : Chomsky, Noam