A deliberately oversimplified form of generative grammar, which generates sentences by working through word by word in a strictly linear fashion. It was used by Chomsky to illustrate the need for more complex features, such as transformations, to account adequately for real language.
Example sentencesExamples
- The ‘finite state grammar’ language contains the two sentences and the ‘phrase structure grammar’ language contains the two sentences
- Thirty undergraduate students from the University of New South Wales were exposed to letter strings generated from a finite state grammar and then rated strings in liking and recognition tests.
- The idea is to write two finite state grammars: one ‘broad’ and the other ‘narrow’.
- ‘That shows that without training, they've been able to figure out a rule at the finite state grammar level - they've been able to sense that pattern,’ said Fitch.
- Participants are exposed to a series of consonant strings generated by a finite state grammar.