This paper is strongly critical of the transformational approach to language, which, according to the author, "has presented an essentially incorrect view of the nature of language by treating it as a self-contained system, independent of its use as a medium of human communication." Four aspects of transformational theory found to follow from the…

An extreme view of language acquisition sees base structures as innate, and acquisition of the grammar of a particular language as a process of learning the transformation rules needed to get from base structures to surface structures of adult native speakers. Base structures are understood to most resemble simple-active-affirmative-declarative…

Transferred epithets, adjectives that appear to have been transferred from adverb to prenominal position (e.g., "I balanced a thoughtful lump of sugar..."), have been viewed as unanalyzable both grammatically and from the viewpoint of transformational derivation. However, another explanation is that these combinations show patterns…