The formal sciences, particularly mathematics, have had a profound
influence on the development of linguistics. This insightful overview looks
at techniques that were introduced in the fields of mathematics, logic and
philosophy during the twentieth century, and explores their effect on the
work of various linguists. In particular, it discusses the 'foundations
crisis' that destabilised mathematics at the start of the twentieth
century, the numerous related movements which sought to respond to this
crisis, and how they influenced the development of syntactic theory in the
1950s. The book concludes by discussing the resulting major consequences
for current syntactic theory, and provides a groundbreaking and detailed
reassessment of Chomsky's early work at the advent of Generative Grammar.
Informative and revealing, this book will be invaluable to all those
working in formal linguistics, in particular those interested in its
history and development.