About my work

I am a syntactician with a primary focus on crosslinguistic variation, particulary with respect to noun phrases, and the interface of syntax with semantics and phonology. I teach courses on syntax, semantics, typology, and fieldwork.

My work focuses on languages of East and Southeast Asia and Subsaharan Africa. (I like working on languages with tone!) I have an enduring interest in Thai, which I grew up speaking as a second language and which was the topic of my dissertation.

I also worked for several years on Moro, an endangered Kordofanian language spoken in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. I co-developed the Moro Story Corpus, and I am currently collaborating on a descriptive grammar of Moro together with Sharon Rose and our Moro colleagues.

Publications

To appear

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

Teaching

updates coming!

2017-2018

2017-2018

2017-2018

2016-2017

2015-2016

2014-2015

2012-2013

Advising

I have primarily worked with students who pursuing research programs focused on theoretical syntax, morphology, and semantics. I enjoy working with students who are fieldwork-oriented and combine novel description with theoretical analysis, and students who are interested in looking at typological patterns and trends from a theoretical perspective, both historical strengths of the UC Berkeley linguistics department.

Current students (as advisor)

Dissertations (chaired)

Dissertation committees (member)

2018
2017
2016
2015