Linguistics and the Formal Sciences

The formal sciences, particularly mathematics, have had a profound influence on the development of linguistics. Informative and revealing, this insightful overview looks at the techniques that were introduced in the fields of mathematics, logic and philosophy during the twentieth century, and explores their profound affect on the work of various linguists. It concludes by discussing the resulting major consequences for current syntactic theory, and provides a groundbreaking and detailed reassessment of Chomsky's early work at the advent of Generative Grammar.

Acknowledgements; List of mathematical symbols; List of abbreviations; 1. Introduction; 2. The consequences of analysis; 3. Mathematical linguistics; 4. Systems of syntax: 1951-1955; 5. Transforming generative grammar: 1955-1957; 6. Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Index.