Projects / Programmes
Theoretical and Experimental Linguistics
January 1, 2019
- December 31, 2027
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.05.02 |
Humanities |
Linguistics |
Theoretical and applied linguistics |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H350 |
Humanities |
Linguistics |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.02 |
Humanities |
Languages and Literature |
theoretical linguistics, experimental linguistics, experimental syntax, experimental pragmatics, agreement, language acquisition, left periphery, cartography, DP syntax, psycholinguistics
Data for the last 5 years (citations for the last 10 years) on
June 28, 2024;
A3 for period
2018-2022
| Database |
Linked records |
Citations |
Pure citations |
Average pure citations |
| WoS |
62 |
827 |
788 |
12.71 |
| Scopus |
63 |
1,021 |
977 |
15.51 |
Researchers (18)
Organisations (1)
| no. |
Code |
Research organisation |
City |
Registration number |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
1540 |
University of Nova Gorica |
Nova Gorica |
5920884000 |
0 |
Abstract
The main area of this research program is theoretical and experimental linguistics. Members of our research group work on different topics within theoretical linguistics mostly in syntax but also extending to semantics and morphophonology. We test theoretical proposals with experimental methods and also work on purely experimental research on language acquisition and the influence of the language a child is acquiring on other cognitive capabilities.
Our research covers all major areas of theoretical linguistics. Our work extends from the more general questions about recursion, the justification of the cartographic approach, the working of phases and the syntax-semantics and the syntax-phonology interface, the mechanism of agreement and the nature of null syntactic elements to the more specific questions linked to wh-movement, the syntax of the noun phrase, the syntax and semantics of comparison, the syntax of resultative and depictive secondary predication and the syntax of the left periphery.
The current members of this program group are native speakers of four different languages (Slovenian, Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian), so understandably, our research is not limited to Slovenian but includes all four of these languages. But in fact, the focus of our interest also extends well beyond these four languages. And even when it comes to Slovenian, we do not limit our work to Standard Slovenian, but extend it to the so far still largely overlooked area of Slovenian dialectal syntax. Through the study of various Slovenian varieties as well as other languages, we participate in the creation of general linguistic theory.
Significance for science
Basic research into natural language is of great importance for the development of cognitive sciences, that is, all sciences that explore the human mind and cognitive processes in the human brain. Our research, in which we combine theoretical advances with experimental practices, is important for the development of linguistics since such a tight and constructive collaboration between theoretical and experimental linguistics as is pursued in this program is rather rare. Experiments test and confirm or reject hypotheses and consequently theories, which are obviously created on the basis of experimental results. Thus theoretical and experimental linguistics must work hand in hand. If experimentalists do not work on the latest hypotheses and theoreticians do not base their theories on the latest experimental findings, neither of the two approaches independently makes much sense. Therefore, what we see as this program's greatest contribution to science at large is precisely this close collaboration of the theoretical and the experimental line of approach and in the development of science that such collaboration brings about. As such, this program is important not just for the development of linguistics but also for the development of cognitive sciences more generally.
Significance for the country
Our research group is currently the largest and (publication- and citation-wise) highest ranking group of generative linguists in Slovenia, and among Slovenian generative linguists the group with the strongest experimental orientation. The University of Nova Gorica PhD program in linguistics, which was conceived and launched by our group, and the MA program in linguistics, in which our group participates, are the only two fully-fledged international study programs of modern linguistics in Slovenia. From their very introduction, both programs have also generated interest among candidates from outside Slovenia, and our members have also regularly served as external course providers for other linguistics PhD programs in Slovenia. The program group thus significantly contributes—both directly, with its scientific achievements, and indirectly, with the PhD program it conducts—in complementing Slovenian linguistics, promoting Slovenian science and Slovenia and helping to include both on the international stage. Members of our research group are also actively involved in Slovenian language policy through a targeted collaboration with the Slovenian Language Office at the Ministry of Culture in the preparation of the main political manifesto for the determination of official language policy of the Republic of Slovenia.
Most important scientific results
Interim report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Interim report
