generate [Lat. generare ‘to create’]

A term coined by N.Chomsky in response to Humboldt’s (1836) linguistic theory. Whereas Humboldt’s term ‘generate’ refers to the historical development of language, Chomsky uses the term in a strictly mathematical-logical way for the listing of sentences on the basis of a recursive rule mechanism. ( also generative grammar, recursiveness)

References

Chomsky, N. 1965. Aspects of the theory of syntax. Cambridge, MA. Humboldt, W.von. 1836. Über die Verschiedenheit des menschlichen Sprachbaues. Berlin. (Repr.