Jim's research in his own words
1. Syntax (of English, and when native speakers are available to be exploited, also Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, and Hindi), within the revisionist version of transformational grammar that I operate in (and to which I refuse to give a name - if you feel you need a name for it, go and make one up), which exploits what I regard as the fruitful ideas of transformational grammar (constituency, multiple syntactic strata, the cyclic principle) and chucks out what I regard as counterproductive ideas (the metaphor of a "base" structure, the idea of categories and structure
James D. McCawley CV
EDUCATION
University of Chicago, 1954-59 and 1960-61 (M.S., mathematics, 1958)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1961-64 (Ph. D., linguistics, 1965; thesis topic:
The accentual system of modern standard Japanese)
Courses at Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität (Münster) 1959-60; University of Texas, summer 1961 (Linguistic Institute); Seton Hall University, summer 1963 (Intensive Japanese)
EMPLOYMENT, PERMANENT
Assistant professor of linguistics, University of Chicago, 9/64-9/69
In Memoriam: Jim McCawley
Jim was the teacher, colleague, and friend of many people in linguistics who admired him greatly for his deep humanity and decency, his intellect, and the wide spectrum of things he loved and loved to share.
Dance Program
The Dance Program in Theater and Performance Studies at the University of Chicago is centered around the belief that dance and embodied research are critical to the performing arts, to broad cultural literacy, and to the advancement of cross-disciplinary scholarship. In seeking to advance dance as both a physical practice and a critical form of research, the Dance Program offers a range of studio and studio-seminar courses as well as co-curricular technique classes.
Workshops & Seminars
TAPS Workshops & Seminars bring together students, faculty, and practitioners for hands-on, collaborative exploration at the intersection of theatre, performance, and critical inquiry.
Dream Delivery Service
Dream Delivery Service
May 14-16, 2026 | 7:30pm | Logan Center, Theater East
May 16-17, 2026 | 2:00pm | Logan Center, Theater East
Tickets: $6 online | $8 at the door
May 14 is a FREE PREVIEW
Dream Delivery Service
A Manual Cinema Co-Production with the University of Chicago
Concept and Direction by Sarah Fornace
Devised by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, & Julia Miller
Chicago Performance Lab
Fostering bold artistic exploration in partnership with the University of Chicago.
SLIPAR (September Lab in Performance as Research)
The Committee on Theater and Performance Studies at the University of Chicago presents a series of performances by doctoral students to mark the conclusion of SLIPAR 2026, the September Lab in Performance as Research.
The Logan Center for the Arts
915 E 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637
Friday, October 2nd, 2026