[NU Sports] Fact-checking on an AP wire story

MHRJGScott at aol.com MHRJGScott at aol.com
Thu Sep 20 14:09:27 CDT 2007


Being a double major in English and philosophy, as well as an MBA from  
Kellogg, I feel uniquely qualified to give you a totally  ambiguous response.  
According to transformational grammar (according  to Chomsky) is that syntax is 
entirely distinct from the question of whether a  sentence is meaningful, or can 
be understood. It is possible for a sentence to  be both grammatical and 
meaningless, as in Chomsky's famous example "_colourless  green ideas sleep 
furiously_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colourless_green_ideas_sleep_furiously) ". 
But such sentences manifest a linguistic  problem distinct from that posed by 
meaningful but ungrammatical (non)-sentences  such as "man the bit sandwich 
the", the meaning of which is fairly clear, but  which no _native speaker_ 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_speaker)  would  accept as being well formed. 
In other words it is a badly formed sentence, but  you know what he meant.



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