Three Models for the Description of Language

Abstract

1. What are the three models of linguistic structure Chomsky compares?
   (1) Finite-state Markov processes producing sentences left to right, (2) phrase-structure grammars, (3) transformational grammars built on top of phrase structure.
   • Chomsky, 1956, Three Models for the Description of Language (IRE Transactions on Information Theory), Abstract
2. Summarize Chomsky’s conclusions in “Three Models”.
   No finite-state Markov process can serve as a grammar of English, and n-th order statistical approximations don’t approach English as n grows. Phrase structure is essentially more powerful but succeeds only for a small set of simple sentences. English grammar is much simpler with phrase structure limited to a kernel of simple sentences from which all others are derived by transformations.
   • Chomsky, 1956, Three Models for the Description of Language (IRE Transactions on Information Theory), Abstract