Die Generative Grammatik

Abstract

Generative Grammar

In this paper, the current version of generative syntax is treated in its various branches. Thereby, we try to explain the most important concepts of Chomsky like defining "competence", "performance", "surface structure" and "deep structure", then theories like "the standard theory" which introduces the syntax and "the X -Bar-Theory" will be discussed. All syntactic structures of all natural languages may be subject to common construction principles, can be set up parallel to previous generalizations of several rules. Furthermore, we will present the elucidation of generative semantics and the different phases of generative grammar. The most popular direction in linguistics at the moment is generative transformational grammar, the book "Syntactic structures", first published in 1957 by Chomsky. The GTT also had a major impact on the development of structural research in Germany. In the 1960s, numerous generative syntax representations of German and handbooks of transformational grammar for Germanists which applied Chomsky's grammar model to German were published. This article is directed to these theoretical issues with relevance to the German language.