ABSTRACT
The rivalry seems vain, however, for grammatical theory, especially in its more recent versions, rather complements the behavioral view of language than clashes with it. This chapter aims to sketch one version of generative grammatical theory, the version of Chomsky’s Aspects of the Theory of Syntax, which is often called the “standard” generative-transformational theory of syntax. At places in his writings Chomsky claims to be aiming only for an economical but comprehensive formal description of the sentences a language may contain. A generative grammar must be a system of rules that can iterate to generate an indefinitely large number of structures. M. D. S. Braine presents some sketchy evidence suggesting that speakers may learn syntactic structure of natural languages by iterative binary fractionations rather than by fractionations into, thirds of a phrase. The balkanization of psychology into doctrinaire schools, each with its separate language spoken only by initiates, is giving way to a unified conception of problems, methods, and theories.
