How to do context-free grammar?

What are the differences between the DTC theory of grammar (transformational grammar) and Chomsky's X-bar grammar?

• In Fodor, Garrett & Bever book from 1974, "The Psychology of Language", they raise some arguments against the DTC theory of complexity and grammar transformations. What are the differences between the DTC grammar and Chomsky's X-bar grammar, which is also transformational-grammar?

• Answer:

  laid the foundations of transformational grammar with his first theory of generative syntax. This led to different phases of his Principles and Parameters theory (P&P) and X-bar Theory - which led to the minimalist program. His arguments and theories were anti-empiricist, anti-structuralist and unique to linguistics at the time as they pulled the relationship between form and function into focus by postulating a deep structure below the surface structure. The derivational theory of complexity (DTC) was in my opinion a bunch of psycho-linguists who were somewhat new to the field, got very excited about the idea that the more complex a derivation is, the more difficult it is to process. I remember reading somewhere that the theory didn't take into account ellipsis and was proved wrong (Please correct me if I'm wrong). In my opinion, Chomskyan analysis of grammar will never truly go away as it's left a huge legacy in terms of it's application of modelling. In terms of the actual content of the theory however, P&P theory seems to have lost its revolutionary uumph. I find Lexical Functional Grammar, and even Optimality theory are better representations of how our mind processes and delivers language.