Noam Chomsky is not only one of the most influential, but also one of the most controversial figures in Twentieth century linguistics. In view of the polarization of opinions on Chomsky, giving a balanced account of Chomskyan linguistics is an ambitious venture. This book describes both Chomskyan linguistics and the positions defended by its opponents in terms of research programs. A research program consists of a number of assumptions on what language is and how it should be studied. Only by assuming that research programs adopted by a large number of scholars for a prolonged period have to...