From UG to the Biolinguistic Program

  Introduction Just as art historians divide an artist’s career into distinct periods—like Picasso’s Blue Period (1901–1904) and Rose Period (1904–1906)—Noam Chomsky’s linguistic theories have also evolved through several phases. Analyzing his work in these phases reveals the progression and shifts in his theoretical perspectives. In the 1950s and 1960s , Chomsky’s early work established the principles of Transformational-Generative Grammar and Universal Grammar (UG), as seen in his seminal texts like Syntactic Structures (1957) and Aspects of the Theory of Syntax (1965). During this phase, he introduced central concepts such as deep structure and surface structure, which revolutionized the way linguists viewed syntactic and semantic relations. Chomsky’s Minimalist Program of the 1990s and 2000s marked a notable shift, where he aimed to simplify Universal Grammar by identifying and focusing on its most essential elements. This phase of his work sought to streamline the un...

Introduction The nature of language has long been a central concern in intellectual discourse, with varying theories offering different perspectives on its origins, structure, and function. Two of the most influential figures in this ongoing debate are Noam Chomsky and Ferdinand de Saussure, whose ideas have profoundly shaped the field of linguistics. Chomsky, with his focus on the "language faculty" and the concept of "internal language," emphasizes the innate cognitive processes that underlie linguistic capability, suggesting that these processes are largely independent of external influences. In contrast, Saussure presents a more holistic view, highlighting the interconnectedness of language's internal and external aspects, as well as its social and individual dimensions. This article explores the fundamental differences between Chomsky’s and Saussure’s approaches to language, aiming to shed light on the complexities and persistent debates within the field....