Monday, January 17, 2011

Chomsky and Generative Grammar

In theoretical linguistics, generative grammar refers to a particular approach to the study of syntax. A generative grammar of a language attempts to give a set of rules that will correctly predict which combinations of words will form grammatical sentences. In most approaches to generative grammar, the rules will also predict the morphology of a sentence.

Do we have a natural grammar? Well, we have a grammar that communicates the basic things humans do, and that grammar will be minimal. Gestures words and expression minimally generate the information needed to define the basin things we do. But getting the communication channel working means we have a fixed signal to noise ratio which must be matched to the SNR we allow when forming behavioral functions. We end up with the internal channel matching the external channel of communications, the two have to be coherent, and extra imprecision is needed.

So, communications and capability will match, communication will co-define behavior, not completely determine it.  This channel between  behavior and communications should be universal across societies since it is minimal, hence the grammar are really the channel components.
Given a finite imprecision, we have to share it with the communications channel and the behavior capabilities, there is only one solution, they both have to have the same imprecision to maintain coherency, hence behavior and communications self quantize.

This is a clue in defining the Hanson singularity.

Still working on this, it is a tough one.

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