Generative Semantic Structure and Its Relationship with Conceptual Cognitive Structure

Abstract

The description of language structure is based on the phonological level, the syntactic level with its two aspects—grammar and morphology—and the semantic level. The semantic structure is considered the point of intersection between these levels in order to achieve meaning. The scholar Noam Chomsky addressed semantic structure through his description of generative grammar, which he referred to as the interpretive semantic component. He considered it one of the most important components of sentence structure, as it links sound and meaning, relying on the syntactic structure of the sentence as well as its semantic properties.

In contrast, his student Ray Jackendoff attempted to offer a new conception of conceptual semantic structure through his description of cognitive linguistics.

So, what is the concept of semantic structure according to Chomsky and Jackendoff? And what are the differences between them? This is what this article seeks to answer.