Autonomous syntax

It is the view propounded by the STANDARD THEORY of generative grammar that the SYNTACTIC COMPONENT of the grammar is independent (‘autonomous’) of SEMANTICS, i.e. the factors which determine the GRAMMATICALITY of a SENTENCE operate without reference to those which determine the sentence’s MEANING. For example, the sentence Colourless green ideas sleep furiously is semantically ill formed but syntactically well formed. This view was attacked in GENERATIVE SEMANTICS, but prevails in modern linguistic theory.