Grammatical Theory in the United States: From Bloomfield to Chomsky

Cambridge Studies in Linguistics

by Peter Hugoe Matthews

This is a history of the spread and dominance of North American linguistic theory, concentrating on the influential ideas of Bloomfield and Chomsky. It gives an account of the development and continuity of three dominant ideas in the study of formal relations can and should be separated from that of meaning; sentences are composed of linear configurations of morphemes; many aspects of grammar are determined genetically. This is an invaluable survey for all linguists wishing to trace the origins of their discipline.

Genres: Linguistics

286 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 1993

About the author

Frequently published under the name P.H. Matthews
Formerly Professor and Head of the Department of Linguistics at the University of Cambridge.