Laurent Dekydtspotter, Ph.D., Cornell, 1995. Associate Professor of French linguistics. Cornell dissertation (1995): Null Operator Variable Structures, Prediction and Interpretive Interface. Prof. Dekydtspotter's main areas of investigation are second language (L2) interpretation in relation to L2 epistemology and second language sentence processing.  His research program seeks to determine the extent to which L2 grammars and L2 sentence processing follow from universal constraints on possible grammars and from universal processing principles. His work focuses on the syntax-semantics interface in the acquisition of French. What second language learners know about the interpretation of certain structures of the target language (i.e., French) which are not found in the native language (i.e., English) can be very probative of the kind of knowledge involved in knowing a second language, because not all syntactic systems have the same semantic consequences. He often colaborates with Rex A. Sprouse (Indiana University) and Bonnie D. Schwartz (Universityof Hawaii) on a number of projcts.

For more information on this research program, please click here.

Spring 2005: On leave.

Fall 2006: French Phonology: F576; Phonetics and pronunciation: F315

Research interests:

Second language acquisition
Second language processing
Syntax-semantics interface
Learnability and acquisitional theory

Publications (2002-1996)

"Reflexes of Mental Architecture in Second Language Acquisition: the Interpretation of Discontinuous Combien Extractions in English-French Interlanguage." 2001. Language Acquisition 9: 175-227. Co-authors: Rex Sprouse and Kimberly Swanson.

"The Universal Parser and Interlanguage: Domain-specific Mental Organization in the Comprehension of Combien Interrogatives in English-French Interlanguage.” 2001. Second Language Research 17: 93-145.

"The Interpretation of Two Kinds of Relative Clauses in English-French Interlanguage." 2001. In Proceedings of Boston Univeristy Conference On Language Development 25. Co-authors: Rex Sprouse and Erin Gibson.

"Mental Design and (Second) Language Epistemology: Adjectival restrictions of Wh-Quantifier and Tense in English-French Interlanguage.” 2001. Second Language Research 17: 1-35. Co-author: Rex Sprouse.

"The Primacy of Syntax and Second Language Acquisition: the Interpretation of Combien Extractions in English-French Interlanguage. 2000. In Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition IV. Co-authors: Rex A. Sprouse and Kimberley Swanson.

"Necessity in Grammatical Design and L2 Acquisition: Quantifier and Tense in English- French Interlanguage.” 2000. In Proceedings of Boston University Conference On Language Development 24. pp. 253-264. Co-authors: Rex A. Sprouse and Alison Leininger.

"The Interpretation of Quantification at a Distance in English-French Interlanguage: Domain- specificity and Second Language Acquisition.” 1999/2000. Language Acquisition 8: 265-320. Co-authors: Rex Sprouse and Rachel Thyre.

"Semantics, Pragmatics and Second Language Acquisition: the Case of Combien... de Extractions.” 1999. In Proceedings of Boston University Conference On Language Development 23. pp. 162-171. Co-authors: Rex A. Sprouse, Kimberley Swanson, and Rachel Thyre.

"Futur Simple and Futur Proche: the Role of General and Singular Propositions in the Expression of the Future.” 1999. In Francis Corblin, Carmen Dobrovie-Sorin, and Jean Marie Marandin, (eds.). Empirical Issues in Formal Syntax and Semantics, Selected Papers from Conférence de Syntaxe et Sémantique de Paris. The Hague: Thesus. pp. 293-308. Refereed volume.

"Interlanguage A-bar Dependencies: Binding Construals, Null Prepositions and Universal Grammar.” 1998. Second Language Research 14: 341-358. Co-authors: Rex Sprouse and Bruce Anderson.

"The Interpretive Interface in L2 Acquisition: the Process-Result Distinction in English-French Interlanguage Grammars." 1997. Language Acquisition 6: 297-332. Co-authors: Rex Sprouse and Bruce Anderson.

"Evidence of Full UG Access in L2 Acquisition from the Interpretive Interface: Quantification at a Distance in English-French Interlanguage.” 1998. In Proceedings of Boston University Conference On Language Development 22. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press. pp. 141-152. Co-author: Rex Sprouse and Rachel Thyre.

"Convergence in L2 Acquisition: English-French Interlanguage Development of Nominals.” 1998. Proceedings of GASLA: McGill Working Papers in Linguistics. Montreal, Quebec: McGill University. pp. 30-39. Co-authors: Rex Sprouse and Bruce Anderson.

Current Mentoring:

Ph.D. Dissertation Committee (current):

Bruce Anderson, 1998- present, Interpretive Correlates of Adjective Noun Placement in French and English-French Interlanguage. French Linguistics.

Ph.D. Advisory Committee (current):

Kim Swanson, Linguistics & French Linguistics, Committee Member.
Jamie Orth, Germanic Studies, Committee Member.
John Durbin, Germanic Studies, Committee Member.
Joachim Wermter, Germanic Studies, Committee Member.
Dorian Roehers, Germanic Studies, Committee Member.

Ph.D. Dissertation Committee (completed):

Sue Brown, Slavics, Committee Member. Dissertation: The Syntax of Negation in Russian.
Julia Davis, French Linguistics, Committee Member. Dissertation: French Liaison: A Case Study of the Syntax/Phonology Interface.
Sheila Hoffman-Hicks, French Linguistics, Committee Member. Dissertation: The Longitudinal Development of French Foreign Language Pragmatic Competence: Evidence From Study Abroad Participants.
Ae-ryung Kim, Linguistics, Committee Member. Dissertation: The Syntax of Korean Wh-Phrases.
Kate Starrett, French Linguistics, Committee Co-chair with B. Vance. The Syntax and Interpretation of the Passé Surcomposé.
Hae-Kyung Wee, Chair, “Sentential Logic, Discourse and Pragmatics of Topic and Focus . Linguistics, Chair.
John Moses, Committee Member, “The Expression of Futurity in the Acquisition of French by Classroom Learners. French Linguistics, Committee Member.