About the book: 2005 / In this book, the outstanding American linguist Noam Chomsky tried to trace in the works of linguists and philosophers of the past ideas similar to the provisions of the theory of transformational generative, which he developed grammars. For this purpose, he turned to the linguo-philosophical rationalistic tradition of the 17th–18th centuries, which, in his opinion, had been undeservedly forgotten. Abundantly citing the works of R. Descartes and J. de Cordemoy, J. Harris and R. Kedworth, the Schlegel brothers and W. von Humboldt, as well as other thinkers of France, Germany and England, Chomsky creates a holistic view of the main features of the rationalistic approach to language, the foundations which were laid down in antiquity. Chomsky's famous work was translated into many languages ​​and at one time caused heated controversy in the scientific press; its Russian translation will undoubtedly be received with interest by linguists, psychologists, philosophers, cultural experts, historians of science and representatives of other humanitarian professions.