Analyzing the Characteristics of Methodology in Transformational and Generative Grammar by Examining Chomsky's Linguistic Theory

Chomsky's linguistic theory keeps renewing and developing. By examining the correlations among deep structure, surface structure and semantic interpretation in transformational and generative grammar, this article states that surface structure has a definite function in semantic interpretation. And also by discussing Chomsky's related theories, the methods in his research are found different from the previous ones. Accordingly, the characteristics of methodology in transformational and generative grammar are analyzed in this paper, which are rationalism, deduction and formalization.