Transformational Grammar (TG) is a theory of grammar developed by this century's most famous linguist, Noam Chomsky, in the 1950's. TG is based on the concept of a universal grammar (UG) which is the set of rules for language that all humans possess thanks to the common genetic features which distinguish them from other organisms and make them human. The idea behind UG is that our capacity for learning languages and the rules that accompany language are innate rather than learned. Phrase Structure Grammar is a particular type of generative grammar (of which TG is another type). The Minimalist Program is a further development of Chomsky's original TG theory, in which he has tried to replace the extremely complex rules relating to highly developed forms of TG with just a few simple and general principles of sentence structure.



The first edition of this book rapidly established itself as one of the clearest and most readable introductions to generative grammar. Together with a complete introduction to the principles of universal grammar, it traced the major shifts of perspective which have influenced the development of the theory over the last forty years.



This revised and expanded edition introduces students with no previous training in syntax to transformational grammar. It is also suitable for intermediate and advanced students of syntax. The text covers the framework known as principles and parameters, and the more recent framework known as minimalism. With a wide range of new, additional exercises, the book is ideal for students approaching generative linguistics for the first time.