The department attracted students and faculty from continental Europe, Britain, and the United States, including Noam Chomsky, the visiting Beckman Professor in 1966, whose transformational linguistics Boyd found deeply appealing in its philosophical implications.
The department drew students and faculty from various parts of Europe, Britain, and the United States, including notable scholar Noam Chomsky, who visited as a Beckman Professor in 1966. Boyd was drawn to Chomsky's transformational linguistics, which had profound philosophical implications.