Ray Jackendoff (born January 23, 1945) is an American linguist. He is professor of philosophy, Seth Merrin Chair in the Humanities and, with Daniel Dennett, co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University. He has always straddled the boundary between generative linguistics and cognitive linguistics, committed to both the existence of an innate universal grammar (an important thesis of generative linguistics) and to giving an account of language that is consistent with the current understanding of the human mind and cognition (the main purpose of cognitive linguistics).
Jackendoff's research deals with the semantics of natural language, its bearing on the formal structure of cognition, and its lexical and syntactic expression. He has conducted extensive research on the relationship between conscious awareness and the computational theory of mind, on syntactic theory, and, with Fred Lerdahl, on musical cognition, culminating in their generative theory of tonal music. His theory of conceptual semantics developed into a comprehensive theory on the foundations of language, which indeed is the title of a monograph (2002): Foundations of Language. Brain, Meaning, Grammar, Evolution. In his 1983 Semantics and Cognition, he was one of the first linguists to integrate the visual faculty into his account of meaning and human language.
Jackendoff studied under linguists Noam Chomsky and Morris Halle at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received his PhD in linguistics in 1969. Before moving to Tufts in 2005, Jackendoff was professor of linguistics and chair of the linguistics program at Brandeis University from 1971 to 2005. During the 2009 spring semester, he was an external professor at the Santa Fe Institute. Jackendoff was awarded the Jean Nicod Prize in 2003. He received the 2014 David E. Rumelhart Prize. He has also been granted honorary degrees by the Université du Québec à Montréal (2010), the National Music University of Bucharest (2011), the Music Academy of Cluj-Napoca (2011), the Ohio State University (2012), and Tel Aviv University (2013).
Jackendoff argues against a syntax-centered view of generative grammar (which he calls syntactocentrism), at variance with earlier models such as the standard theory (1968), the extended standard theory (1972), the revised extended standard theory (1975), the government and binding theory (1981), and the minimalist program (1993), in which syntax is the sole generative component in the language. Jackendoff takes syntax, semantics, and phonology all to be generative, interconnected via interface components. The task of his theory is to formalize the proper interface rules.
While rejecting mainstream generative grammar due to its syntactocentrism, the cognitive semantics school has offered an insight that Jackendoff would sympathize with, namely, that meaning is a separate combinatorial system not entirely dependent upon syntax. Unlike many of the cognitive semantics approaches, he contends that neither syntax alone should determine semantics, nor vice versa. Syntax need only interface with semantics to the degree necessary to produce properly ordered phonological output (see Jackendoff 1996, 2002; Culicover & Jackendoff 2005).
Contribution to musical cognition
Jackendoff, together with Fred Lerdahl, has been interested in the human capacity for music and its relationship to the human capacity for language. In particular, music has structure as well as a "grammar" (a means by which sounds are combined into structures). When a listener hears music in an idiom he or she is familiar with, the music is not merely heard as a stream of sounds; rather, the listener constructs an unconscious understanding of the music and is able to understand pieces of music never heard previously. Jackendoff is interested in what cognitive structures or "mental representations" this understanding consists of in the listener's mind, how a listener comes to acquire the musical grammar necessary to understand a particular musical idiom, what innate resources in the human mind make this acquisition possible and, finally, what parts of the human music capacity are governed by general cognitive functions and what parts result from specialized functions geared specifically for music (Jackendoff & Lerdahl, 1983; Lerdahl, 2001). Similar questions have also been raised regarding human language, although there are differences. For instance, it is more likely that humans evolved a specialized language module than having evolved one for music, since even the specialized aspects of music comprehension are tied to more general cognitive functions.[1]
Selected works
Jackendoff, Ray (1972). Semantic Interpretation in Generative Grammar. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 400. ISBN0-262-10013-4.
Jackendoff, Ray (1977). X-Bar Syntax: A Study of Phrase Structure. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 248. ISBN0-262-10018-5.
Jackendoff, Ray (1983). Semantics and Cognition. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 283. ISBN0-262-10027-4.
Lerdahl, Fred; Ray Jackendoff (1983). A Generative Theory of Tonal Music. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 369. ISBN0-262-12094-1.
Jackendoff, Ray (1987). Consciousness and the Computational Mind. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 356. ISBN0-262-10037-1.
Jackendoff, Ray (1990). Semantic Structures. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 322. ISBN0-262-10043-6.
Jackendoff, Ray (1992). Languages of the Mind: Essays on Mental Representation. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. p. 200. ISBN0-262-10047-9.
Jackendoff, Ray (1993). Patterns in the Mind: Language and Human Nature. New York, NY: Harvester Wheatsheaf. p. 243. ISBN0-7450-0962-X.
Jackendoff, Ray (1997). The Architecture of the Language Faculty. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 262. ISBN0-262-10059-2.
Jackendoff, Ray (2002). Foundations of Language: Brain, Meaning, Grammar, Evolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 477. ISBN0-19-827012-7.
Culicover, Peter W.; Ray Jackendoff (2005). Simpler syntax. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 589. ISBN0-19-927108-9.
Jackendoff, Ray (2007). Language, Consciousness, Culture: Essays on Mental Structure (Jean Nicod Lectures). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 403. ISBN978-0-262-10119-6.
Jackendoff, Ray (2010). Meaning and the Lexicon: The Parallel Architecture 1975–2010. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 504. ISBN978-0-19-956888-8.
Jackendoff, Ray (2012). A User's Guide to Thought and Meaning. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 274. ISBN978-0-19-969320-7.
^Jackendoff, R.& Lerdahl, F. The capacity for music: what is it and what's special about it?, Cognition,100, 33–72 (2006).
External links
Website at Tufts University
Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University
Semantics and Cognition, in Shalom Lappin (1996), "The Handbook of Contemporary Semantic Theory", 539–559. Oxford: Blackwell.
Possible stages in the evolution of the language capacity, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Vol. 3, No. 7 (July 1999).
February 27, 2023
jackendoff, born, january, 1945, american, linguist, professor, philosophy, seth, merrin, chair, humanities, with, daniel, dennett, director, center, cognitive, studies, tufts, university, always, straddled, boundary, between, generative, linguistics, cognitiv. Ray Jackendoff born January 23 1945 is an American linguist He is professor of philosophy Seth Merrin Chair in the Humanities and with Daniel Dennett co director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University He has always straddled the boundary between generative linguistics and cognitive linguistics committed to both the existence of an innate universal grammar an important thesis of generative linguistics and to giving an account of language that is consistent with the current understanding of the human mind and cognition the main purpose of cognitive linguistics Ray JackendoffBorn 1945 01 23 January 23 1945 age 78 Alma materMIT SwarthmoreAwardsFellow of the AAASJean Nicod Prize 2003 Rumelhart Prize 2014 Scientific careerFieldsGenerative grammar cognitive science music cognitionInstitutionsTufts BrandeisDoctoral advisorNoam ChomskyNotable studentsNeil CohnJackendoff s research deals with the semantics of natural language its bearing on the formal structure of cognition and its lexical and syntactic expression He has conducted extensive research on the relationship between conscious awareness and the computational theory of mind on syntactic theory and with Fred Lerdahl on musical cognition culminating in their generative theory of tonal music His theory of conceptual semantics developed into a comprehensive theory on the foundations of language which indeed is the title of a monograph 2002 Foundations of Language Brain Meaning Grammar Evolution In his 1983 Semantics and Cognition he was one of the first linguists to integrate the visual faculty into his account of meaning and human language Jackendoff studied under linguists Noam Chomsky and Morris Halle at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he received his PhD in linguistics in 1969 Before moving to Tufts in 2005 Jackendoff was professor of linguistics and chair of the linguistics program at Brandeis University from 1971 to 2005 During the 2009 spring semester he was an external professor at the Santa Fe Institute Jackendoff was awarded the Jean Nicod Prize in 2003 He received the 2014 David E Rumelhart Prize He has also been granted honorary degrees by the Universite du Quebec a Montreal 2010 the National Music University of Bucharest 2011 the Music Academy of Cluj Napoca 2011 the Ohio State University 2012 and Tel Aviv University 2013 Contents 1 Interfaces and generative grammar 2 Contribution to musical cognition 3 Selected works 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksInterfaces and generative grammar EditJackendoff argues against a syntax centered view of generative grammar which he calls syntactocentrism at variance with earlier models such as the standard theory 1968 the extended standard theory 1972 the revised extended standard theory 1975 the government and binding theory 1981 and the minimalist program 1993 in which syntax is the sole generative component in the language Jackendoff takes syntax semantics and phonology all to be generative interconnected via interface components The task of his theory is to formalize the proper interface rules While rejecting mainstream generative grammar due to its syntactocentrism the cognitive semantics school has offered an insight that Jackendoff would sympathize with namely that meaning is a separate combinatorial system not entirely dependent upon syntax Unlike many of the cognitive semantics approaches he contends that neither syntax alone should determine semantics nor vice versa Syntax need only interface with semantics to the degree necessary to produce properly ordered phonological output see Jackendoff 1996 2002 Culicover amp Jackendoff 2005 Contribution to musical cognition EditJackendoff together with Fred Lerdahl has been interested in the human capacity for music and its relationship to the human capacity for language In particular music has structure as well as a grammar a means by which sounds are combined into structures When a listener hears music in an idiom he or she is familiar with the music is not merely heard as a stream of sounds rather the listener constructs an unconscious understanding of the music and is able to understand pieces of music never heard previously Jackendoff is interested in what cognitive structures or mental representations this understanding consists of in the listener s mind how a listener comes to acquire the musical grammar necessary to understand a particular musical idiom what innate resources in the human mind make this acquisition possible and finally what parts of the human music capacity are governed by general cognitive functions and what parts result from specialized functions geared specifically for music Jackendoff amp Lerdahl 1983 Lerdahl 2001 Similar questions have also been raised regarding human language although there are differences For instance it is more likely that humans evolved a specialized language module than having evolved one for music since even the specialized aspects of music comprehension are tied to more general cognitive functions 1 Selected works EditJackendoff Ray 1972 Semantic Interpretation in Generative Grammar Cambridge Massachusetts MIT Press pp 400 ISBN 0 262 10013 4 Jackendoff Ray 1977 X Bar Syntax A Study of Phrase Structure Cambridge Massachusetts MIT Press pp 248 ISBN 0 262 10018 5 Jackendoff Ray 1983 Semantics and Cognition Cambridge Massachusetts MIT Press pp 283 ISBN 0 262 10027 4 Lerdahl Fred Ray Jackendoff 1983 A Generative Theory of Tonal Music Cambridge Massachusetts MIT Press pp 369 ISBN 0 262 12094 1 Jackendoff Ray 1987 Consciousness and the Computational Mind Cambridge Massachusetts MIT Press pp 356 ISBN 0 262 10037 1 Jackendoff Ray 1990 Semantic Structures Cambridge Massachusetts MIT Press pp 322 ISBN 0 262 10043 6 Jackendoff Ray 1992 Languages of the Mind Essays on Mental Representation Cambridge Massachusetts MIT Press p 200 ISBN 0 262 10047 9 Jackendoff Ray 1993 Patterns in the Mind Language and Human Nature New York NY Harvester Wheatsheaf p 243 ISBN 0 7450 0962 X Jackendoff Ray 1997 The Architecture of the Language Faculty Cambridge Massachusetts MIT Press pp 262 ISBN 0 262 10059 2 Jackendoff Ray 2002 Foundations of Language Brain Meaning Grammar Evolution Oxford Oxford University Press p 477 ISBN 0 19 827012 7 Culicover Peter W Ray Jackendoff 2005 Simpler syntax Oxford Oxford University Press p 589 ISBN 0 19 927108 9 Jackendoff Ray 2007 Language Consciousness Culture Essays on Mental Structure Jean Nicod Lectures Cambridge Massachusetts MIT Press pp 403 ISBN 978 0 262 10119 6 Jackendoff Ray 2010 Meaning and the Lexicon The Parallel Architecture 1975 2010 Oxford Oxford University Press p 504 ISBN 978 0 19 956888 8 Jackendoff Ray 2012 A User s Guide to Thought and Meaning Oxford Oxford University Press p 274 ISBN 978 0 19 969320 7 See also EditConceptual semantics Mentalist postulate List of Jean Nicod Prize laureates X bar theoryReferences Edit Jackendoff R amp Lerdahl F The capacity for music what is it and what s special about it Cognition 100 33 72 2006 External links EditWebsite at Tufts University Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University Ray Jackendoff Conceptual Semantics Harvard University 13 November 2007 video Semantics and Cognition in Shalom Lappin 1996 The Handbook of Contemporary Semantic Theory 539 559 Oxford Blackwell Possible stages in the evolution of the language capacity Trends in Cognitive Sciences Vol 3 No 7 July 1999 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ray Jackendoff amp oldid 1132592408, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
