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Birth
Avrom Noam Chomsky was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 7, 1928. He would grow up to become known as the founder of modern linguistics, as well as a philosopher of analytics, and a founder of cognitive science. In addition to his scholarly contributions over the many decades, his political ideology has been a guiding force in many liberal circles. -
Degrees
Received a B.A. degree from University of Pennsylvania -
Degrees
Received M.A. degree from University of Pennsylvania -
Final Degree and Early Career
Chomsky received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and began teaching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a professor of foreign languages and linguistics. -
First Book
Chomsky wrote his first book, Syntactic Structures (Syntactic Structures, London: Mouton, 1957), where he opposed the traditional beliefs about how children acquire their language skills. He argued, rather, that children come instinctually programmed with language skills and are usually able to master their native language very early on, and much faster than most other skills. -
Books About Linguistics
Current Issues in Linguistic Theory, The Hague: Mouton, 1964. -
Outspoken Activist
Chomsky was strongly against and spoke up in protest to the United States involvement in the Vietnam War claiming that the United States was trying to wield its political power and economic strength over other countries to gain control of them. -
Books About Linguistics
Language and Mind, New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1968. -
Books About Politics
American Power and the New Mandarins, New York: Pantheon Books, 1969. -
Books About Politics
Problems of Knowledge and Freedom, New York: Pantheon Books, 1971. -
Books About Politics
Peace in the Middle East? Reflections on Justice and Nationhood, New York: Pantheon Books, 1974. -
Books About Politics
Turning the Tide: U.S. Intervention in Central America and the Struggle for Peace, Boston: South End Press, 1985. -
Books About Linguistics
Knowledge of Language: Its Nature, Origin, and Use, New York: Praeger, 1986. -
Interview About Languages
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Recent Years of Notoriety
Even today, Chomsky is one of the most sought-after people for his perspectives on human behavior, the power of language, and politics. Chomsky has many critics that consider him to be anti-American due to his views against capitalism and imperialism. Nonetheless, Chomsky is held in high acclaim as a modern scholar and admonished for his outspoken views. -
Works Cited
Stafforini, Pablo. Chomsky.info - The Noam Chomsky Website. Contributions from Kendall Clark, R. R. King, and Robin Green, 2003, http://chomsky.info. Accessed 9 April 2019. UW Video. The Concept of Language (Noam Chomsky). University of Washington, Upon Reflection, hosted by Al Page, YouTube, 12 March 2014, https://youtu.be/hdUbIlwHRkY. Accessed 9 April 2019.