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Split noun phrases and the theory of case
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999)
This dissertation is concerned with two puzzles in the syntax of French noun phrases. I first examine the distribution of the sub nominal clitic pronoun en. I argue that Case theory is the module of the grammar responsible ...
Current issues in the mind/body problem
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1981)
Practical knowledge and abilities
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009)
The thesis is an exploration of the relations between know-how, abilities, and ordinary knowledge of facts. It is shown that there is a distinctively practical sort of know-how and a corresponding interpretation of 'S knows ...
Two approaches to human rights
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009)
Contemporary philosophy of human rights is dominated by two seemingly opposed approaches. This dissertation is concerned with the choice between them. The traditional approach to human rights is characterized by the belief ...
The significance of fairness/
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009)
This dissertation is about fairness and the role it plays in political and personal morality. Specifically, I investigate when it is appropriate to rely on considerations of fairness to draw substantive conclusions about ...
The articulatory basis of positional asymmetries in phonological acquisition
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009)
Child phonological processes that lack counterparts in adult phonological typology have long posed a problem for formal modeling of phonological acquisition. This dissertation investigates child-specific processes with a ...
Clause chaining, switch reference and coordination
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
In this thesis I ponder over a constellation of phenomena that revolve around switch reference and coordination, drawing mainly on their instantiation in Kisedje (Je, Brazil). I start by investigating Klsedje's case system. ...
Joint practical deliberation
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017)
Joint practical deliberation is the activity of deciding together what to do. In this dissertation, I argue that several speech acts that we can use to alter our moral obligations - promises, offers, requests, demands, ...
Persons, imposters, and monsters
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
This dissertation is about person features, their representation and interpretation in natural language. I will argue that there are several ways in which person features can be represented and interpreted. Most importantly, ...
Biased learning of phonological alternations
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013)
What is the initial state of the grammar when children begin to figure out patterns of phonological alternations? This thesis documents the developmental stages of children acquiring Korean verb and noun paradigms, and ...