Dan Brodkin
I'm a fourth-year PhD student in Linguistics at UC Santa Cruz. My research is centered around syntax and prosody, with an empirical focus on Mandar (Austronesian). I believe that careful work on lesser-studied languages can cast light on the most fundamental questions in generative theory.
My research program investigates the presence of A-like locality restrictions on low A'-movement, which give rise to the Ergative Extraction Constraint and other highest-nonhighest asymmetries. In earlier work, I have defended an ergative analysis of the Austronesian voice system in Mandar, argued that vocabulary insertion must occur in a global and parallel phonological evaluation, built an analysis of Mandar clause structure from the facts of prosodic phrasing, and documented a case of phonological displacement to the edge of the intonational phrase.
An important part of my career involves supporting linguistics in Indonesia. I have built relationships with generative departments, given talks to general audiences on the value of generative research, prepared workshops for language documentation offices, advised undergraduates, and served as an external committee member on theses in the field.
My primary advisor is Sandra Chung.
Contact: ddbrodki (at) ucsc (dot) edu
