Generative grammar is a
linguistic theory that considers
grammar to be a system of rules that is intended to generate exactly those combinations of words which form
grammatical sentences in a given
language. The term was originally used in relation to the
theories of grammar developed by
Noam Chomsky, beginning in the late 1950s. Linguists who follow the generative approach originated by Chomsky have been called
generativists. The generative school has focused on the study of
syntax, but has also addressed other aspects of a language's structure, including
morphology and
phonology.