Structural Transformations in the Transformational-Generative Theory From Structural Grammar to Mental Model

Abstract

This study examines the transformation In the linguistic structure analysis, shifting from the structural descriptive approach—which focuses on the surface structure of language as seen in Bloomfield's work—to the generative-transformational approach, which is concerned with how this structure is formed in the human mind, as proposed by Chomsky. This shift represents one of the central issues addressed in the research. The study seeks to explore it through the foundations and key features of the generative-transformational school and its developmental stages, particularly its conceptualization of deep and surface structures, and the transformational rules that link the two. The descriptive-analytical method was adopted to address these topics. The research concludes that the concept of "structure" has not remained static; rather, it has undergone a significant transformation—from being an external, formal, descriptive notion to an internal, mental one. Chomsky portrayed it as a mirror that accurately and reliably reflects the mechanisms of thought in the speaker’s mind, asserting that it exists innately and instinctively within the speaker