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The Linguistics of Arrival: Aliens, Fieldwork, and Universal Grammar
144 Louis A. Simpson International Building PrincetonIf aliens arrived, could we communicate with them? How would we do it? What are the tools linguists use to decipher unknown languages? How different can human languages be from one another? Do these differences have bigger consequences for how we see the world? The recent science-fiction film Arrival touches on these and other real […]
Reconstructing the Proto-Indo-European Stop System: An Experimental Approach
1-S-5 Green Hall 1-S-5 Green Hall, PrincetonAndrew M. Byrd is an Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Kentucky. Author of multiple academic articles and books on Proto-Indo-European (PIE), he spends much of his time investigating problems in historical linguistics that have been difficult (and sometimes impossible) to solve using traditional methodologies. He is particularly passionate about educating the public […]
Modularity and Computation in Semantic Theory
1-S-5 Green Hall 1-S-5 Green Hall, PrincetonVarious features of natural language seem like they require us to revise the basic architecture of semantic theory. Some important examples are variable expressions (like free and bound pronouns), alternative-denoting expressions (like indefinites and "wh"-words), focused expressions (as in "I only have MYSELF to blame"), supplements (as in "Dave, the chief of police, arrested Clayton"), […]
