Noam Chomsky, “the father of modern linguistics,” revolutionized language with topics such as generative grammar and the concept of universal grammar. But I’m fascinated by one nonsensical statement invented by Chomsky, which might be the weirdest sentence in English: “Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.” It’s correct from a strictly grammatical standpoint, but something about it is off. This sentence, aptly known as the “Chomsky sentence,” was an example used by the famed linguist to illustrate the idea that a sentence can be grammatically correct yet meaningless. He aimed to convey that syntax (sentence structure) is independent of semantics (meaning).
The statement was featured in Chomsky’s 1957 book Syntactic Structures, and it appears to obey all the conventional rules of English grammar. It opens with a noun phrase (“colorless green ideas”) featuring two adjectives (“colorless” and “green”) that describe a noun (“ideas”). Next, the verb phrase, “sleep furiously,” brings action to the sentence, with the adverb “furiously” modifying the verb “sleep.” These are all permissible grammar choices, but that doesn’t mean the words in the sentence make sense together. This paradox is precisely the point: Chomsky concluded that grammar is autonomous and independent of meaning.
Though Chomsky believed this sentence was illogical, others have worked to defend its semantics. David Policar of MIT argued that the sentence does make sense. In his humorous and long-winded defense, he explained that we’re simply looking at the words wrong. “Green,” for example, should be interpreted as “inexperienced,” meaning that it’s a new idea — not a colorful one. In this sense, “colorless” is an appropriate adjective because ideas are mere concepts that lack color.
Similarly, Policar argued that “sleep” can be a proper action for an idea if it means the idea is at rest or simply not thought of yet. He also argued that “sleeping furiously” is possible, just as “writing furiously” can mean writing intensely. According to Policar, the Chomsky sentence could be transcribed as, “New ideas (that lack color) are intensely resting, waiting to be discovered.” We don’t know if Chomsky ever came across Policar’s eccentric examination of the sentence, but we’re sure he would be amused by it.
What does the Chomsky sentence mean for an amateur linguist such as myself? It’s just another quirk of language that lets me know there’s always more to learn.
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