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About

We are a research team in theoretical and experimental syntax based in Moscow, Russia.

We study intralingual variation, with precise focus on obtaining high-quality empirical data using experimental methods.

We see our job in:

  • examining grammatical phenomena using experimental methods.
  • explicitly modeling the phenomena under investigation within formally oriented syntactic and semantic frameworks.
  • elaborating methodological issues specific to linguistic experiments.
  • teaching new generation of linguists to conduct their own experimental studies.

Our projects

Russian Islands

The project presents the first step in the full-scale study of the island constraints in Russian. We contribute to understanding the phenomena of island effects, summarizing relevant grammatical parameters of islands in Russian, defining whether the island constraints result from grammatical restrictions or processing overload.

Agreement Variation in Russian

The project offers a multifactorial study of agreement variation in Russian. Using experimental methods we define a set of parameters that determine agreement variation and explore the relation between phi-features.

What is experimental syntax?

It is a field in linguistics in which syntactic structures are investigated by means of experimental methods. Conducting an experiment is the optimal solution to study intra-lingual variation: the researcher can manipulate the stimuli, and therefore, with sufficient accuracy determine which factors contribute to the choice of one or other option.

Formal modelling of the linguistic competence on the basis of experimental data allows us to reach a new level of understanding of the grammatical system of the language, its organization, functioning, and development.