conceptual semantics

through crosslinguistic markers of location and possession meanings, i'm exploring the idea that unidirectional pathways of change emerge from pathways in underlying conceptual structure. i model this conceptual structure using observations and constraints from linguistic variation as well as cognitive and developmental psychology. synchronically, chunks of this conceptual structure are lexicalized differently across languages and across individuals, giving rise to observed patterns of variation, while diachronically, these lexicalizations move through the conceptual meaning space under social, societal, and cognitive pressures. i probe this interface between language and conceptual structure through psycholinguistic and neuroimaging techniques as well as traditional linguistic methods.

real-time processing

following this model of the language system, i've shown that locative readings of pp-less have-sentences in english can be facilitated using relevant context, as evidenced by acceptability judgments and reading times. moreover, electrophysiological and hemodynamic data reveal a two-step processing comprising an exhaustive retrieval of the unified locative-possession lexico-semantic conceptual structure followed by a context-driven dismambiguation of the intended meaning. this processing profile supports a unified underlying location-possesion conceptual structure that different languages lexicalize in different but systematic ways.

individual differences

these real-time data reveal remarkable systematicity in how individuals differ in their ability to detect and use relevant contextual information in downstream processing. these patterns converge with well-described patterns in sociolinguistics; my work, however, seeks to show that this group-level effect is reducible to individual differences in language-independent cognitive properties. i quantify this individual-level variation using a multitude of tools, including the autism quotient questionnaire and hormonal markers.

articulatory phonology

such language-independent individual-level variability also manifests in other domain of language processing, namely, speech production and perception. i use electromagnetic articulography to investigate how context-sensitivity governs patterns of variability in the production of lexical tone in mandarin chinese, a phenomenon that unifies conceptual, linguistic, and biophysiological systems in real-time. in doing so, i've used computational tools to show how the continuous kinematic trajectories of the speech articulators and pitch are underlain by phonological form.

lexical semantics vs. pragmatics

i've done work on metonymy which showed a unified processing mechanism for systematic (lexical) and circumstantial (pragmatic) metonymy in english. behavioral, erp, and fmri data show that these types of metonymy, previously characterized as distinct processes at the word- and discourse-level, respectively, differ only by degree of contextual demands. these findings were the first to directly compare the two types of metonymic processing; they suggest that the division of labor between lexical semantic and pragmatic composition is not so clear-cut.

developmental pragmatics

i've explored the developmental trajectory in real-time comprehension and production of these two metonymy types in kids aged five to 12. these results not only strengthen the unified processing mechanism approach, but also show that children's reported difficulty in metonymic processing results from a developing ability to construe licensing contexts, rather than an immature argument structure parser. furthermore, my measures of context-sensitivity also structure individual-level variation in these developmental arcs.

endangered language fieldwork

my fieldwork in western australia focused on enumerating verbal and nominal morphological paradigms of tjupan, a highly endangered wati language. i worked with the last four fluent speakers to double the extant dictionary, produce two editions of the tjupan sketch grammar, and document stories and cultural practices. in addition, i also carried out experiments targeting two phenomena, numeracy and recursion, at the interface of language and cognition.

external links

much of my work can be found through my researchgate, academia.edu, and google scholar profiles, but please e-mail me at muye.zhang [at] yale.edu for any manuscripts or materials.