transformational rule


transformational rule

n 1. (Linguistics) generative grammar a rule that converts one phrase marker into another. Taken together, these rules, which form the transformational component of the grammar, convert the deep structures of sentences into their surface structures 2. (Logic) (plural) logic a rule that specifies in purely syntactic terms a method by which theorems may be derived from the axioms of a formal system

transforma′tional rule′


n. a rule in transformational grammar that relates two equivalent structures in converting the underlying form of a sentence into its surface representation, as by reordering, inserting, or deleting elements.