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A containment hierarchy of classes of formal grammars that generate formal languages. It's important for understanding how different types of computational systems reflect the complexity of human language.

LAD is a hypothetical module in the human mind posited to account for children's innate predisposition for language acquisition. It's important because it's thought to be the mechanism behind UG.

UG is a theory in linguistics, proposing that the ability to learn grammar is hard-wired into the brain. It's important as it attempts to explain the ease with which children learn complex languages.

The superficial syntactic structure of a sentence that can be directly observed. It is important because it can differ dramatically while still being generated from the same deep structure.

A syntactic operation in Chomsky's Government and Binding theory that allows for the displacement of constituents. It's a core operation for understanding how different syntactic elements interact within sentences.

This is a theory of grammar that Chomsky proposed to describe the cognitive abilities humans have to form and understand sentences. It's a precursor to UG, highlighting the deep structures of language.

In Chomskyan linguistics, the deep structure is an abstract level of structural organization at which all the elements determining structural interpretation are represented. It's fundamental for understanding the relationship between syntax and semantics.

A program within theoretical linguistics that aims to reduce the principles and parameters of earlier versions of the theory to a minimum. It's significant for its attempt to explain language using the simplest possible models.

A branch of syntax that deals with the relationships between pronouns and the expressions with which they are co-referential. It's important in UG for explaining how different languages handle these relationships.

A syntactic constraint in transformational grammar that restricts the movement of certain elements. It is significant as it helps to explain why some sentences with moved constituents are ungrammatical.

A theory within UG that suggests a set of universal principles underlying all languages, and parameters that vary from one language to another. It's important for explaining cross-linguistic variation.

Part of Chomsky's theory dealing with the assignment of thematic roles to syntactic constituents. It's crucial for understanding how verbs semantically connect with arguments in sentences.

The set of rules, principles, and processes that govern the structure of sentences. Syntax is crucial in UG because it's independent of phonological form or semantic meaning.

A theory of syntax and phrase structure grammar that describes how the mind represents the syntax of natural languages. The importance lies in its comprehensiveness and influence in formal syntax.

A linguistic theory that regards grammar as a system of rules that generates exactly those combinations of words that form grammatical sentences. It is crucial for understanding the predictive nature of language.

A level of linguistic representation at which a sentence's logically relevant syntactic structure is expressed. It's important for understanding the interface between syntax and semantics and how meaning is derived in UG.

A component of grammar that constrains the structure of phrases in language. It's important because it provides a uniform framework for understanding the internal organization of syntactic categories.

It's an argument that children do not receive enough data to learn a language solely through environmental stimuli. It underscores the necessity of innate grammatical structures.

The innate cognitive capacity of humans that enables them to acquire and produce language. This concept is central to UG, positing a specific, dedicated subsystem within the human brain.