Editing Generative grammar (section)

{{Short description|Research tradition in linguistics}}
{{Redirect|Standard Theory|the theory of Ancient Egyptian verbal syntax|Standard Theory (Egyptology)}}
[[File:Cgisf-tgg.png|thumb|A [[parse tree|syntax tree]] in which the sentence ''S'' breaks down into a noun phrase ''NP'' and a verb phrase ''VP'', both of which break down into additional smaller constituents.|300px]]
{{Linguistics|Grammar}}

'''Generative grammar''' is a research tradition in [[linguistics]] that aims to explain the [[cognition|cognitive]] basis of language by formulating and testing explicit models of humans' subconscious grammatical knowledge. Generative linguists, or '''generativists''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|dʒ|ɛ|n|ər|ə|t|ɪ|v|ɪ|s|t|s}}),<ref>{{cite Dictionary.com|Generativist|date=August 2024}}</ref> tend to share certain working assumptions such as the [[linguistic competence|competence]]&ndash;[[linguistic performance|performance]] distinction and the notion that some [[domain-specific]] aspects of grammar are partly innate in humans. These assumptions are rejected in non-generative approaches such as [[usage-based models of language]]. Generative linguistics includes work in core areas such as [[syntax]], [[semantics]], [[phonology]], [[psycholinguistics]], and [[language acquisition]], with additional extensions to topics including [[biolinguistics]] and [[music cognition]].

Generative grammar began in the late 1950s with the work of [[Noam Chomsky]], having roots in earlier approaches such as [[structural linguistics]]. The earliest version of Chomsky's model was called [[Transformational grammar]], with subsequent iterations known as [[Government and binding theory]] and the [[Minimalist program]]. Other present-day generative models include [[Optimality theory]], [[Categorial grammar]], and [[Tree-adjoining grammar]].