Description

Book Synopsis
A COMPANION TO CHOMSKY Widely considered to be one of the most important public intellectuals of our time, Noam Chomsky has revolutionized modern linguistics. His thought has had a profound impact upon the philosophy of language, mind, and science, as well as the interdisciplinary field of cognitive science which his work helped to establish. Now, in this new Companion dedicated to his substantial body of work and the range of its influence, an international assembly of prominent linguists, philosophers, and cognitive scientists reflect upon the interdisciplinary reach of Chomsky's intellectual contributions. Balancing theoretical rigor with accessibility to the non-specialist, the Companion is organized into eight sectionsincluding the historical development of Chomsky's theories and the current state of the art, comparison with rival usage-based approaches, and the relation of his generative approach to work on linguistic processing, acquisition, semantics, pragmatics, and philoso

Table of Contents


Notes on Contributors ix

Acknowledgments xv

1 Synoptic Introduction 1
Nicholas Allott, Terje Lohndal, and Georges Rey

2 Biographical Sketch 18
Nicholas Allott, Terje Lohndal, and Georges Rey

Part I Historical Development of Linguistics 23

3 From the Origins of Government and Binding to the Current State of Minimalism 25
Artemis Alexiadou and Terje Lohndal

4 The Enduring Discoveries of Generative Syntax 52
Lisa Lai-Shen Cheng and James Griffiths

5 The Chomsky Hierarchy 74
Tim Hunter

6 Naturalism, Internalism, and Nativism: The Legacy of The Sound Pattern of English 96
Charles Reiss and Veno Volenec

7 Language as a Branch of Psychology: Chomsky and Cognitive Science 109
Lila Gleitman

Part II Contemporary Issues in Syntax 123

8 The Architecture of the Computation 125
David Adger

9 Merge and Features: The Engine of Syntax 140
Peter Svenonius

10 On Chomsky’s Legacy in the Study of Linguistic Diversity 158
Mark Baker

11 Parameters and Linguistic Variation 172
Michelle Sheehan

12 Constraints on Grammatical Dependencies 190
Gereon Müller

13 Chomsky’s Influence on Historical Linguistics: From Universal Grammar to Third Factors 210
Elly van Gelderen

14 Second Language Acquisition 222
Roumyana Slabakova

15 Multilingualism and Chomsky’s Generative Grammar 232
Tanja Kupisch, Sergio Miguel Pereira Soares, Eloi Puig-Mayenco, and Jason Rothman

Part III Comparisons with other Frameworks 243

16 The View from Declarative Syntax 245
Peter Sells

17 How Statistical Learning Can Play Well with Universal Grammar 267
Lisa S. Pearl

18 Chomsky and Usage-Based Linguistics 287
Frederick J. Newmeyer

Part IV Processing and Acquisition 305

19 Sentence Processing and Syntactic Theory 307
Dave Kush and Brian Dillon

20 Neuroscience and Syntax 325
Emiliano Zaccarella and Patrick C. Trettenbrein

21 Universal Grammar and Language Acquisition 348
Stephen Crain and Rosalind Thornton

22 Chomsky and Signed Languages 364
Diane Lillo-Martin

23 Atypical Acquisition 377
Neil Smith and Ianthi Tsimpli

Part V Semantics, Pragmatics, and Philosophy of Language 391

24 Chomsky and the Analytical Tradition 393
John Collins

25 Chomsky on Meaning and Reference 404
Paul Pietroski

26 Chomsky on Semantics 416
Michael Glanzberg

27 Chomsky and Pragmatics 433
Nicholas Allott and Deirdre Wilson

Part VI Cognitive Science and Philosophy of Mind 449

28 Nativism 451
Georges Rey

29 The Deep Forces That Shape Language and the Poverty of the Stimulus 462
Stephen Crain, Iain Giblin, and Rosalind Thornton

30 Chomsky on the Evolution of the Language Faculty: Presentation and Perspectives for Further Research 476
Anne Reboul

31 Chomsky and Intentionality 488
John Collins and Georges Rey

32 The Mind–Body Relation: Problem, Mystery, or What? 503
Joseph Levine

Part VII Methodological and other Explanatory Issues 515

33 Chomsky’s “Galilean” Explanatory Style 517
Nicholas Allott, Terje Lohndal, and Georges Rey

34 Chomsky and Fodor on Modularity 529
Nicholas Allott and Neil Smith

35 Linguistic Judgments as Evidence 544
Steven Gross

36 Chomsky’s Problem/Mystery Distinction 557
John Collins

37 Knowledge, Morality, and Hope: The Social Thought of Noam Chomsky 567
Joshua Cohen and Joel Rogers

Part VIII Reflections 581

38 Reflections 583
Noam Chomsky

Author Index 595

Subject Index 599

A Companion to Chomsky

    Product form

    £143.06

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £158.95 – you save £15.89 (9%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Mon 6 Jul 2026.

    A Hardback by Nicholas Allott, Terje Lohndal, Georges Rey

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of A Companion to Chomsky by Nicholas Allott

      Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
      Publication Date: 13/05/2021
      ISBN13: 9781119598701, 978-1119598701
      ISBN10: 1119598702
      Also in:
      Philosophy Psychology

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      A COMPANION TO CHOMSKY Widely considered to be one of the most important public intellectuals of our time, Noam Chomsky has revolutionized modern linguistics. His thought has had a profound impact upon the philosophy of language, mind, and science, as well as the interdisciplinary field of cognitive science which his work helped to establish. Now, in this new Companion dedicated to his substantial body of work and the range of its influence, an international assembly of prominent linguists, philosophers, and cognitive scientists reflect upon the interdisciplinary reach of Chomsky's intellectual contributions. Balancing theoretical rigor with accessibility to the non-specialist, the Companion is organized into eight sectionsincluding the historical development of Chomsky's theories and the current state of the art, comparison with rival usage-based approaches, and the relation of his generative approach to work on linguistic processing, acquisition, semantics, pragmatics, and philoso

      Table of Contents


      Notes on Contributors ix

      Acknowledgments xv

      1 Synoptic Introduction 1
      Nicholas Allott, Terje Lohndal, and Georges Rey

      2 Biographical Sketch 18
      Nicholas Allott, Terje Lohndal, and Georges Rey

      Part I Historical Development of Linguistics 23

      3 From the Origins of Government and Binding to the Current State of Minimalism 25
      Artemis Alexiadou and Terje Lohndal

      4 The Enduring Discoveries of Generative Syntax 52
      Lisa Lai-Shen Cheng and James Griffiths

      5 The Chomsky Hierarchy 74
      Tim Hunter

      6 Naturalism, Internalism, and Nativism: The Legacy of The Sound Pattern of English 96
      Charles Reiss and Veno Volenec

      7 Language as a Branch of Psychology: Chomsky and Cognitive Science 109
      Lila Gleitman

      Part II Contemporary Issues in Syntax 123

      8 The Architecture of the Computation 125
      David Adger

      9 Merge and Features: The Engine of Syntax 140
      Peter Svenonius

      10 On Chomsky’s Legacy in the Study of Linguistic Diversity 158
      Mark Baker

      11 Parameters and Linguistic Variation 172
      Michelle Sheehan

      12 Constraints on Grammatical Dependencies 190
      Gereon Müller

      13 Chomsky’s Influence on Historical Linguistics: From Universal Grammar to Third Factors 210
      Elly van Gelderen

      14 Second Language Acquisition 222
      Roumyana Slabakova

      15 Multilingualism and Chomsky’s Generative Grammar 232
      Tanja Kupisch, Sergio Miguel Pereira Soares, Eloi Puig-Mayenco, and Jason Rothman

      Part III Comparisons with other Frameworks 243

      16 The View from Declarative Syntax 245
      Peter Sells

      17 How Statistical Learning Can Play Well with Universal Grammar 267
      Lisa S. Pearl

      18 Chomsky and Usage-Based Linguistics 287
      Frederick J. Newmeyer

      Part IV Processing and Acquisition 305

      19 Sentence Processing and Syntactic Theory 307
      Dave Kush and Brian Dillon

      20 Neuroscience and Syntax 325
      Emiliano Zaccarella and Patrick C. Trettenbrein

      21 Universal Grammar and Language Acquisition 348
      Stephen Crain and Rosalind Thornton

      22 Chomsky and Signed Languages 364
      Diane Lillo-Martin

      23 Atypical Acquisition 377
      Neil Smith and Ianthi Tsimpli

      Part V Semantics, Pragmatics, and Philosophy of Language 391

      24 Chomsky and the Analytical Tradition 393
      John Collins

      25 Chomsky on Meaning and Reference 404
      Paul Pietroski

      26 Chomsky on Semantics 416
      Michael Glanzberg

      27 Chomsky and Pragmatics 433
      Nicholas Allott and Deirdre Wilson

      Part VI Cognitive Science and Philosophy of Mind 449

      28 Nativism 451
      Georges Rey

      29 The Deep Forces That Shape Language and the Poverty of the Stimulus 462
      Stephen Crain, Iain Giblin, and Rosalind Thornton

      30 Chomsky on the Evolution of the Language Faculty: Presentation and Perspectives for Further Research 476
      Anne Reboul

      31 Chomsky and Intentionality 488
      John Collins and Georges Rey

      32 The Mind–Body Relation: Problem, Mystery, or What? 503
      Joseph Levine

      Part VII Methodological and other Explanatory Issues 515

      33 Chomsky’s “Galilean” Explanatory Style 517
      Nicholas Allott, Terje Lohndal, and Georges Rey

      34 Chomsky and Fodor on Modularity 529
      Nicholas Allott and Neil Smith

      35 Linguistic Judgments as Evidence 544
      Steven Gross

      36 Chomsky’s Problem/Mystery Distinction 557
      John Collins

      37 Knowledge, Morality, and Hope: The Social Thought of Noam Chomsky 567
      Joshua Cohen and Joel Rogers

      Part VIII Reflections 581

      38 Reflections 583
      Noam Chomsky

      Author Index 595

      Subject Index 599

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account