Chomsky: Remarks on Nominalization: Derived and Gerundive Nominals

University of Stuttgart

The Major
Structural Differences Between
Gerunds And Derived Nominals

In

Noam Chomsky′s:
"Remarks On Nominalization"

by

Nadja Jurk

Table of contents

1. Introduction p. 3

2. Syntax vs. Lexicon p. 3-5
2.1 Lexicon p. 4
2.2 Verbs p. 4
2.3 Nouns p. 4
2.4 The Definition Of Syntax p. 5

3. Surface vs. Deep Structure p. 6

4. Lexicalist vs. Transformationalist Position p. 7

5. Lexicalist Approach On Derived Nominals p. 8-10

6. Lexicalist Approach On Gerundive Nominals p. 10-12

7. Nominalization p. 12

8. Derived Nominals p. 12
8a. Complements p. 12-13

9. The Most Important Differences Between Gerunds And Derived Nominals p. 13-17

10. Conclusion p. 18

11. Bibliography p. 19

1. Introduction

The American linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky is seen as one of the most important developers of language theories. He has composed and published many literary works that have been dispersed worldwide. He has worked to further the study and understanding of linguistics from both the biological and psychological perspective.

This termpaper mainly refers to Chomsky′s essay "Remarks on Nominalization" , published in 1970. In this essay he discusses the major structural differences between "gerunds" ( verbal nouns like in "John being easy to please", or "John interesting the children with his stories") and "derived nominals" (regular nouns like in "the destruction of the city").

"Among various types of nominal expressions in English there are two of particular importance, each roughly of propositional form...the gerundive nominals...and the derived nominals..."

In my termpaper I am going to comment exactly on those two linguistic phenomenons: gerundive nominals vs. derived nominals. In order to comprehend Chomsky′s analysis I will have to provide some general assumptions about syntax, the lexicon and the approaches Chomsky uses in his article.

2. Syntax vs. Lexicon

First of all Chomsky explains the relation between syntax and the lexicon and makes clear that they interact with one another.

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