抄録
In this overview, we will review the past paths of development of linguistic theories, particularly those in the so-called generative tradition of grammar, and attempt to foresee the natural consequences of these in the near future.
After more than a quarter century of its history, generative grammar has experienced a tremendous shift in its methodology, which could be summarized as the trend from rules to principles. Thus, current linguistic theory is not a theory of grammar rules, but one about constraints on linguistic information that are assumed to be encoded in the human brain system.
Even though there are different conceptions about the nature of linguistic constraints among linguists, many tend to agree that these constraints are quite similar to those found in physical world, e.g., constraints in mechanics. In this respect, linguistic theory can be considered to describe a certain type of law that exists inside one of the smallest universes, viz., our brain.
Consequently, the linguistic theory is shifting toward a more general theory about abstract linguistic objects. It is a theory of how a human being deals with information for conceptualization and communication, though there are some who doubt whether language is sufficiently effective for the latter purpose.
