Penn State University

Faculty Member, German & Slavic

Assistant Professor of German & Linguistics

About

In a nutshell, I'm fascinated with language and how the human mind acquires knowledge (cog sci). My research seeks to gain a clearer understanding of the general cognitive architecture responsible for generating and evaluating linguistic structures. My most recent work in linguistic theory, in collaboration with Thomas Stroik, seeks to connect aspects of generative theories of language with evolutionary theories of the mind (The Structural Design of Language, to appear in Cambridge University Press).

Within the field of linguistics, my primary interests lie in the structure (syntax, morphology) and meaning (semantics) of natural language and often the intersection of these two domains. I employ multiple grammar formalisms in my research and am relatively open-minded about the use of a variety of theoretical models. The language family I research most intimately is the Germanic family past and present. In addition to 'standard' languages, I harbor a particular interest for German-language enclave dialects (i.e., bilingualism and first-language attrition/incomplete acquisition). In this domain of research, I am interested in filler-gap dependencies in heritage grammars and am currently conducting extensive research in a German-American (i.e., Schweitzer German) dialect spoken near Moundridge, Kansas.

This semester (Spring 2012) I am a Visiting Scholar at both Rutgers University (Department of Linguistics) and Johns Hopkins University (Department of Cognitive Science) working on issues related to the advancement of Optimality Theoretic (OT) syntax with Jane Grimshaw, Geraldine Legendre, and Paul Smolensky.

In addition to my work in linguistics and cog sci, I conduct research in cultural studies; most often in the fields of German Studies and popular music. I am currently editing a book-length project with John Littlejohn (Costal Carolina University) on the band Rammstein.

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