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RE: Chomsky, rain and ice cubes revisited

--- Clayton Bartholomew wrote:
 Possibly I am attributing ideas to Chomsky which 
were not his at all. Like blaming Calvin for the theology of Bezae.  

I distinctly remember seeing a translation model where the surface 
structure of the source language was being broken down into kernel 
propositions (deep structure) and then being *transformed* into the 
surface structure of the target language. The authors of this model 
claimed they were using principles of transformational grammar.  If not, 
it is the *method* that has problems, whatever the source. 
--- end of quoted material ---

Chomsky's mentor, Zellig Harris, advocated a transformational model which could
be employed for text analysis.  Chomsky's framework, however, was meant to be a
model of speaker knowledge about language.  He never suggested thatit could be
used as a model/method of translation.
	The place of semantics in Chomsky's early work was a matter of intense
debate.  He himself ended up taking the position that transformations had no
direct effect on meaning, so the notion that kernal sentences (propostions)
were transformed into surface structures actually became incompatible with his
theory of syntax.

Lindsay Whaley
Dartmouth College