About

Noam Chomsky is considered the founder of modern linguistics and is one of the most cited scholars in modern history. His groundbreaking work includes influential books such as “Syntactic Structures,” “Language and Mind,” “Aspects of the Theory of Syntax,” and “The Minimalist Program,” each making significant contributions to the development of the field. He introduced key concepts such as the Chomsky hierarchy, generative grammar, and the idea of a universal grammar, which underpins all human speech and is based on the innate structure of the mind and brain. Chomsky's work has not only transformed linguistics but has also influenced cognitive science, philosophy, psychology, computer science, mathematics, childhood education, and anthropology. He has written more than 100 books, with his most recent being “Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power.” Chomsky joined the University of Arizona in fall 2017, coming from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he worked since 1955 and was Institute Professor, later Institute Professor emeritus. He is currently on leave.

Research topics

• Political science
• Linguistics
• Computer science
• Philosophy
• Psychology

Frequent coauthors

• Hannah Arendt

  Cornell University

  197 shared

• Michael G. Fitzsimons

  196 shared

• Anthony J. Parel

  196 shared

• Robert F. Byrnes

  196 shared

• Thomas Werge

  196 shared

• Eric Foreman

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  196 shared

• Henry Abraham

  BT Research

  196 shared

• William James

  Lismore Base Hospital

  196 shared

Awards & honors

• Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences
• Helmholtz Medal
• Ben Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science