Noam Chomsky

Updated: 03/06/2020 by Computer Hope
Noam Chomsky

Name: Noam Chomsky

Born: December 7, 1928

Computer-related contributions

  • American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, and activist and author of more than 100 books.
  • Often called the father of modern linguistics.
  • Co-creator of the Chomsky hierarchy, the universal grammar theory, and the Chomsky-Schützenberger theorem. The Chomsky hierarchy is often taught in fundamental computer science courses as it confers insight into the various types of formal languages.

Significant publications

  • Language and mind (1966).
  • Hegemony or survival: America's quest for global dominance (2003).
  • Manufacturing consent: the political economy of the mass media (1988).
  • Failed states: the abuse of power and the assault on democracy (2006).

Honors and awards

  • Inducted into IEEE Intelligent Systems' AI's Hall of Fame for the "significant contributions to the field of AI and intelligent systems" (2011).
  • President's Medal from the Literary and Debating Society of the National University of Ireland, Galway (2008).
  • Honorary fellowship from the Literary and Historical Society (2005).

Quotes

"Any dictator would admire the uniformity and obedience of the U.S. media."

"Everybody's worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there's a really easy way: stop participating in it."

Websites