语言学。1949 年获宾夕法尼亚大学文学学士学位，1951 年在宾夕法尼亚大学完成硕士论文《现代希伯莱语语素音位学》，1955 年又在该校完成博士论文《转换分析》，获得博士学位。 对语言学的贡献
《句法结构》是乔姆斯基介绍转换生成语法的《语言学理论的逻辑结构》一书的精华版。这一理论认为说话的方式（词序）遵循一定的句法，这种句法是以形式的语法为特征的，具体而言就是一种不受语境影响并带有转换生成规则的语法。儿童被假定为天生具有适用于所有人类语言的基本语法结构的知识 对心理学的贡献
乔姆斯基的语言学著作对于心理学在二十世纪的发展方向产生了重大影响。他的普遍语法理论被很多人认为是对既定的行为主义理论的直接挑战。这一理论对于理解儿童如何习得语言以及什么是真正理解语言的能力都有深远的意义。现在很多关于头脑如何运作的观念都是从乔姆斯基富有说服力的思想中发展而来的。有三个基本思想。首先，头脑是“认知的”，或者说头脑中包含精神状况，看法，疑惑等等。其次，乔姆斯基认为成年人的大部分智力活动都是“先天的”。尽管儿童并不是一生下来就会说某种语言，所有儿童都天生具有很强的“语言学习”能力，这种能力使他们得以在最初几年中很快吸收几种语言。后来的心理学家将这一论断广泛应用于语言问题之外。最后，乔姆斯基将“模式”作为头脑认知结构的关键特征。他认为头脑是由一系列相互作用各司其职的亚系统组成的，彼此间进行有限的交流。
Traditional linguistics & modern linguistics
Modern linguistics started with the publication of F. de Saussure?s book “Course in General Linguistics” in the early 20th century. So Saussure is often described as “father of modern linguistics”. The general approach traditionally formed to the study of language before that is roughly referred to as “traditional grammar.” They differ in several basic ways. Differences between the two.
Firstly, modern linguistics is descriptive while traditional grammar is prescriptive. A linguist is interested in what is said, not in what he thinks ought to be said. He describes language in all its aspects, but does not prescribe rules of “correctness”.
Secondly, modern linguistics regards the spoken language as primary, not the written. Traditional grammarians, on the other hand, tend to emphasize, may be over-emphasize, the importance of the written word, partly because of its permanence.
Then, modern linguistics differs from traditional grammar also in that it does not force languages into a Latin-based framework. To modern linguists ,it is unthinkable to judge one language by standards of another. They are trying to set up a universal framework, but that would be based on the features shared by most of the languages used by mankind
Exercises:
What are the major branches of linguistics? What does each of
them study?
1)phonetics: it studies the sounds used in linguistic communication. 2)phonology: it studies how sounds are put together and used to convey meaning in communication.
3) morphology: it studies the way in which linguistic symbols representing sounds are arranged and combined to form words. 4) syntax: it studies the rules which govern how words are combined to form grammatically permissible sentences in languages.
5) semantics: it studies meaning conveyed by language
6) pragmatics: it studies the meaning in the context of language use.
1.How is Saussure’s distinction between langue and parole similar to Chomsky’s distinction between competence and performance?
Saussure?s distinction and Chomsky?s are very similar in that they both think that language can be divided into two levels, one level is abstract (e.g. langue; competence) and the other concrete (e.g. parole; performance). And they also think that what linguists should deal with is the abstract level which can reveal the real nature of language. At the same time, they differ at least in that Saussure took a sociological view of language and his notion of language is a matter of social conventions, and Chomsky looks at language from a psychological point of view and to him
competence is a property of the mind of each individual.