Current Generative Theory

Chomsky quickly recognized the limitations of early semantic-based approaches, and from the late 1960's to the 1970's, he argued for a theory of grammar that was first known as the "extended standard theory", and later as the "revised extended standard theory". Chomsky's goals were to focus on the conditions and constraints that influenced grammatical structure generally - to restrict the power of theoretical grammar so that it would conform to these conditions and constraints operating on language.