Humans have two systems of numerosity: one estimates differences in quantity measurement, the other marks and counts distinct individuals through time and space. This dual mode of measurement creates ambiguity in all measure constructions, and is overtly marked in Bangla cardinality systems. In collaboration with Ellen O’Connor, we demonstrate that our formal semantic model accounts for the ambiguity and have implications for processing quantity expressions. I further test the predictions by psycholinguistic experiments. The findings have implications for the interface between semantics and extralinguistic cognition, supported by the findings in cognitive sciences.
Cross-linguistic research suggests that there are two types of definiteness across languages. Definite objects are represented differently in languages, depending on how speakers perceive the entity in context. My research provides evidence for underlying structural differences. In collaboration with Andrew Simpson, I further demonstrate that mental activation of the perceived object directly interacts with definiteness construal in languages.
Languages that morphologically mark numerals for counting do not have a systematic plural-marking mechanism. My work on Bangla reveals a more nuanced syntactic structure exists, and is required for explaining such generalizations. My findings have implications for cross-linguistic and typological research.
alience of an object differs by means of how it is being referred to. Pronouns and demonstratives have different contextual effects on reference resolution. My experimental work with Elsi Kaiser gathers insights from contextual uses of pronouns and demonstratives, and shows that cognitive coherence has significant effect on reference resolution.