My overall interest lies in developing formal semantic models of iconicity in natural languages, based on ecologically valid empirical work, aimed at answering questions such as;
How do iconic forms contribute meaning differently to arbitrary forms?
How can we account for what is iconically mapped and what is not?
What does an adequate formal semantic model of iconicity need to include?
While I am interested in all forms of iconicity, my research focuses primarily on the semantics and pragmatics of ideophones, and currently I am investigating the following areas:
Crosslinguistic differences between ideophones. Does the at-issue status of ideophones differ between prototypical ideophonic languages and less prototypical ideophonic languages? How do ideophones in these languages differ in other ways, i.e. degree of conventionalisation, availability of iconic modifications, frequency of use? What can these differences tell us about how iconicity may be encoded differently crosslinguistically?
We are currently conducting crosslinguistic experimental work investigating differences in at-issueness between ideophones in languages considered to be ideophonic, such as West African languages like Akan and Ga, and those that are deemed ideophone poor, such as German and English.
Equivalents to ideophones in sign languages. Do sign languages have forms equivalent to ideophones? If so, how do these compare to ideophones in spoken language? How do ideophones (or equivalent forms) in both sign languages and spoken languages compare to other non-lexicalised iconic forms, such as manual and vocal gestures?
Evidentiality, epistemic authority and commitment in iconic, depictive forms. Do certain types of iconic depiction such as ideophones or quotations as demonstrations index the speaker's epistemic authority? Do they display behaviour similar to other evidential strategies? How does the use of an iconic, depictive form impact on a speaker's perceived commitment?
At-issueness and iconicity. How and why do iconic contributions such as ideophones differ in at-issue status compared to arbitrary equivalents? Can investigating the at-issue status of iconic forms, such as ideophones a) help us to better understand the nature of iconic meaning contributions and b) aid with models of at-issueness, such as a gradient rather than binary approach or how non-at-issue contributions can be modelled in the common ground?
Weak necessity modals in Malay: I have an interest in further pursuing research conducted for MA indicated, where I found that certain modals in (Singaporean) Malay can be used as both weak and strong necessity modals.
Crosslinguistic variation in modality: Based on the research conducted in Malay, I am also interested in exploring how Malay fits into the crosslinguistic paradigm of modality and whether there are further examples of variable necessity modals in other languages.