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Associate Professor, Director, Linguistics, Director, English Honors Program This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
University Hall 5037
(205) 934-8588

Research and Teaching Interests: Theoretical linguistics, cognitive science, neurolinguistics

Office Hours: By appointment

Education:

  • Ph.D., University of Arizona, Linguistics (minor in Cognitive Science)

Dr. David Basilico is the Director of the Linguistics Program at UAB. His primary research interest is in syntactic theory, and more specifically the relationship between syntax and semantics. He is currently investigating the relationship between argument structure, event structure, and syntactic representation. He has investigated phenomena as diverse as internally headed relative clauses, the dative alternation, existential constructions, particle verbs, the antipassive, and noun incorporation, among others. Although his primary language of investigation is English, Dr. Basilico has also worked with data from languages such as Spanish, Lakhota, Inuktitut, Frisian, and Russian.

Dr. Basilico’s publications have appeared in Language, Linguistic Inquiry, Natural Language and Linguistic Theory, Lingua, and other linguistics journals.

In addition to his work in theoretical linguistics, Dr. Basilico also has an interest in cognitive science and neurolinguistics — the relation between language and the brain.

  • Recent Courses
    • Introduction to Linguistics
    • History of the English Language
    • The Structure of English Words
    • Grammar and Usage for English Teachers
    • Phonology
    • Generative Grammar
  • Select Publications

    Book Chapters

    • David Basilico, "The Antipassive and its Relation to Scalar Structure," in The End of Argument Structure?, María Cristina Cuervo and Yves Roberge, eds. (Syntax and Semantics series, Volume 38, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2012), 75-103.

    Articles

    • David Basilico, "The se clitic and its relationship to paths," Probus 22 (No. 2, 2010): 271-302.
    • David Basilico, "Particle Verbs and Benefactive Double Object Constructions: High and Low Attachments," Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 26 (2008): 731-73.
    • David Basilico, "The Topic of Small Clauses," Linguistic Inquiry 34 (No. 1, 2003): 1-35.