Hi! I'm a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Linguistics at Rutgers University.  I am generally interested in how and to what extent logic (and other formal tools) can be used to model the way the meaning of of natural language expressions interact with the local/broad context. My graduate work has investigated this issue through a variety of linguistic phenomena, including degree semantics (comparatives), sentence embedding, and quantifiers. 
You can reach out to me at ang.li.aimee@gmail.com. 

News

I recently defended my dissertation (advisor: Simon Charlow). 
Check out the slides.  

Research

A new analysis of comparatives 

I argue that a comparative meaning that compares structurally-derived alternatives provides a better account of their anaphoric dependence and a more unified view of comparatives in general. 

2022. Dissertation defense

2021. Internal reading and the comparative meaning. SuB 26. 

2020. Anaphora in Comparison: comparing alternatives. SALT 31. 

False answers in Quantificational Variability Effects

For sentences like For the most part, John knows who cheated, I argue the embedded question gets to interact with the matrix adverb through event-relative interpretations. 

2020. Quantifying over the resolution: false-answer  sensitivity in QVE. GLOW 43.

2018. Quantified Exhaustiveness in embedded questions. NYU workshop: foundational topics in semantics. 

Semantics of verbal classifiers

I argue that verbal classifiers like ci  (Chinese) and time (English) can take scope because they count over properties related to events. 

2018. Counting in the verbal domain. CLS 54.

2017. Distributing events: Mandarin verbal classifiers. [email me for the manuscript]

2017. Mandarin verbal classifiers and pseudo-incorporation. NACCL 29. 

Syntax of long passives  

I observe that the Accusative Case licensing seems to be separated from the introduction of the external argument in Chinese, and argue this can derive the long distance dependency in Chinese bei-passives. 

2018. Severing the end state: long passives of another type. [email me for the manuscript]

2016. Movement in Mandarin bei-passives. RULing 2016

Teaching

Department of Philosophy, Rutgers University 

2021 Fall: Intro to Philosophy. Teaching Assistant. 

Department of Linguistics, Rutgers University 

2021 Summer: Intro to Ling Theory. Co-instructor. 

2021 Spring: Invented Languages. Instructor. 

2018 Spring - 2019 Fall: Intro to Ling Theory. Instructor. 

2017 Fall: Intro to Ling Theory. Teaching Assistant.