Abstract
This chapter describes an approach to linguistic research called Formal Generative Typology (FGT). FGT is a pragmatic and somewhat eclectic approach that is built on the idea of combining a generative-style toleration for abstractness in analysis with a typology-inspired interest in testing claims over a sample of unrelated languages. This appears to be a powerful combination, with the potential to greatly advance the quest for answers to questions about what is truly universal to natural human languages, what can vary, and whether the variation is patterned or not.