About

Hi! My name is Mike, and I study Linguistics in a university in the state of Connecticut, USA and work part-time for the university web group. I’ve been dealing with computers since as far back as I can remember, and though decided not to get a degree in a computer-related field, I can’t help but keep my hand in things at least a bit.

On the tech side, I try to watch the 2.0 market players and think about what they’re doing and why, and where they’re taking modern tech business. I am also fascinated by all things shiny (and consequently, mac). I’m a big fan of light, elegant design and innovative UI concepts.

On the linguistics side, I’m interested in building a representational theory of syntax (and to a lesser extent, morphology/semantics) that is directly derived (in highly specific ways) from what we believe goes on in the brain. This is different than most representational theories of language (e.g. Minimalism, Optimality), which treat the grammar as a black box and do not hold their models responsible to the psychological reality.

I am also interested in the cognitive architecture of language (preferrably in terms of modules and interfaces) – both in monolingual and bilingual settings. I want to know if there is any functional difference between the lexicons and grammars of ambilingual speakers, and the lexicons and grammars of monolingual speakers of different registers and dialects.

In my spare time, I swing- and salsa-dance and drink copious amounts of tea. I hope you enjoy what you read!