Research
My research is in phonological theory, which is in general concerned with finding linguistically significant generalizations behind the formal similarities and differences among the sound patterns of different human languages.
My own work is mainly concerned with how very general constraints on phonological forms can interact with each other in different ways to produce complex patterns of phonological behavior in different languages. I am particularly interested in probing very basic principles that are assumed to underlie phonological knowledge. Do these principles need to be stated, or do they follow from other, more basic principles?
I am also interested in all aspects of Spanish linguistics. My work on Spanish thus far has been in the areas of syntax, phonology, and the phonology-morphology interface. This recent paper unites my interest in Spanish with my work on antigemination, and there is also some Spanish discussed in my recent work on opacity. I also occasionally teach courses in Spanish linguistics, and have conducted some dialect fieldwork in Bolivia.
Follow the links above to read summaries of some of my main lines of research, with links to some of my work on each topic. (See also a more exhaustive list of my available written work at my SelectedWorks site.)
Contact information
e-mail
phone / voice mail
(858) 822-3206
dept. fax
(858) 534-4789
snail mail
9500 Gilman Drive, #0108
La Jolla, CA 92093-0108
Fall 2009
DGS Office hours: M 10am-12pm
Winter 2010
LIGN 111, Phonology
Office hours: TBA
Spring 2010
LIGN 211B, Nonlinear Phonology
LIGN 215, Topics in Phonology
Office hours: TBA
Site last updated: October 2009