Office # 455B, Lorch Hall, 611 Tappan Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
"This looks like a wild platonistic caprice strongly calling for Occam's razor. Language, however,
seems to function that way."
hours: Fridays - 1:30-2:30pm ET
About
I research theoretical syntax with a special focus on the syntax-morphology interface. The bigger questions driving my research are: what types of combinatoric rules exist in natural languages? how do these rules converge or diverge within Universal Grammar (UG)? how can cross-linguistic variations be accounted for? and what do these convergences/divergences tell us about the human capacity for language?
Currently, my work is centered around morphosyntactic phenomena such as agreement and case including their interactions and their manifestations in natural languages. I also have research interests in the interfaces between morphosyntax and phonology (exploring these within an Optimality-theoretic approach) and in psycholinguistics, in particular concerning bilingualism and the neurolinguistic underpinnings of morphosyntax.
My pursuit of a Ph.D. extends beyond personal growth; it is driven by a profound desire to contribute to my homeland, Palestine. Once I complete my dissertation, one of my envisioned projects involves the documentation of the various dialects and sub-dialects spoken in the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948. These linguistic nuances serve as the sole testimony to the enduring presence of Palestinians in those regions, yet they currently face a perilous decline. Leveraging my expertise, I aspire to craft a comprehensive linguistic atlas encompassing all dialects spoken in the 94 cities and towns that have been occupied since 1948.
"Many of us like to ask ourselves, 'What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?' The answer is, you're doing it. Right now." (Aaron Bushnell 2024)