Traditional Grammar and Transformational Generative Grammar | PGTRB, NET, SET Notes

Traditional Grammar and Transformational–Generative Grammar

The study of grammar has evolved over centuries. Two major approaches are: Traditional Grammar and Transformational–Generative Grammar. This article explains their differences, principles and examples in a simple and exam-friendly manner.

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1. Traditional Grammar

Traditional Grammar refers to the grammar described by ancient and classical grammarians, especially in the Western tradition starting from Greek and Latin grammars. It focuses on the correct usage of language and the classification of words into categories.

Features of Traditional Grammar

• Prescriptive in nature (tells what is correct/incorrect).
• Based on Latin and Greek models.
• Focuses on parts of speech.
• Studies sentences in terms of subject, predicate, object, clause.
• Emphasises written language over spoken language.
• Explains grammar rules rather than mental processes.

Main Components

• Parts of speech: noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.
• Sentence types
• Tenses and verb forms
• Agreement (subject–verb, pronoun–antecedent)
• Punctuation rules

Limitations of Traditional Grammar

• Does not explain how the mind generates sentences.
• Ignores spoken language and natural variations.
• Too rule-bound; not scientific.
• Fails to explain ambiguous structures.

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2. Transformational–Generative Grammar (TGG)

Noam Chomsky introduced Transformational–Generative Grammar in the 1950s. It studies the mental processes involved in sentence formation. TGG focuses on the competence (mental knowledge of language) rather than performance.

Core Idea

The human mind has an inborn ability to generate infinite sentences from a finite set of rules. Grammar is therefore a generative system.

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2.1 Key Concepts of TGG

1. Deep Structure

The underlying meaning or abstract form of a sentence.

Example:
“The girl ate the apple.” Deep structure expresses “girl + eat + apple”.

2. Surface Structure

The actual sentence as spoken or written after transformations.

Example: “The apple was eaten by the girl.” (Passive) Same deep structure but different surface structure.

3. Transformations

Rules that convert deep structure into surface structure.

• Passive Transformation
  The boy kicked the ball → The ball was kicked by the boy.
• Negation
  She is coming → She is not coming.
• Interrogation
  He is ready → Is he ready?
• Deletion
  She can dance → Can she dance?
• Expansion
  He went → He really went.

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2.2 Phrase Structure Rules

These rules generate the deep structure of a sentence.

Basic Rules:

S → NP + VP  
NP → (Det) + N  
VP → V + (NP)

Example

Sentence: “The dog chased the cat.”

• S → NP + VP
• NP → Det + N (“The dog”)
• VP → V + NP (“chased the cat”)

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3. Differences Between Traditional Grammar and TGG

Aspect	Traditional Grammar	Transformational–Generative Grammar
Approach	Prescriptive	Descriptive & psychological
Focus	Correct usage	Structure of the mind
Sentence Analysis	Subject–verb–object	Deep & surface structures
Rules	Static grammar rules	Generative rules
Application	Teaching, writing	Linguistics, cognition, AI

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4. Importance of TGG

• Explains how humans can create infinite sentences.
• Useful in linguistic theory & artificial intelligence.
• Explains ambiguity & complex sentences.
• Shows the relationship between meaning and structure.

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5. Summary

Traditional Grammar focuses on rules of usage, while Transformational–Generative Grammar focuses on the mental mechanisms that produce sentences. Both approaches help us understand different dimensions of language structure.

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