Search
Now showing items 1-10 of 46
On what language is
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2020)
What is language? I defend the view that language is the practical capacity for partaking in communication with linguistic signs. To have a language just is to know how to communicate with it. I argue that this view -- ...
Default ergative
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
In this thesis, I propose the hypothesis that ergative Case in certain languages may be assigned to a DP which would be otherwise Case-less within a certain domain. In this sense, ergative Case appears to be a default. At ...
Tonal interaction in Kinande : cyclicity, opacity, and morphosyntactic structure
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
This dissertation develops a constraint-based analysis of opaque tonal interactions in Kinande verb forms and, based on this analysis, argues for a phonological architecture that incorporates both cyclic evaluation and ...
Modular interactions in phonology
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018)
This thesis makes two separate claims about the architecture of phonology: (1) The computation of stress takes place in a distinct cognitive module from segmental phonology. This module is informationally encapsulated from ...
Bayesian computational models for inferring preferences
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015)
This thesis is about learning the preferences of humans from observations of their choices. It builds on work in economics and decision theory (e.g. utility theory, revealed preference, utilities over bundles), Machine ...
Covert modals in root contexts
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2016)
In this thesis, I examine two related constructions, Imperatives and Greek Root Subjunctives. I argue that Imperatives and Root Subjunctives should be studied in parallel, as this comparison reveals their individual ...
Subjective modality
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018)
This dissertation focuses on subjective or epistemic readings of the modals 'might' and 'should' and considers how they fit into broader theories of modal vocabulary. Chapter 1, 'What the Future "Might" Brings', develops ...
Multiple case assignment : an Amis case study
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018)
This dissertation investigates two case-related phenomena: aspect-conditioned differential subject case marking and overt case-stacking, and why case morphology on a DP may correlate with movement of a DP. Guided by data ...
Dimensions of ergativity in Inuit : theory and microvariation
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018)
This thesis investigates microvariation in the ergative system of the Inuit dialect continuum, as a window into the theoretical status of ergative alignment, argument licensing, and Agree. The empirical focus of this thesis ...
Normative discourse and social negotiation
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019)
This dissertation lies at the intersection of philosophy of language, social and political, and feminist philosophy. The first half of the dissertation is primarily about the ways language can be used to stereotype, ...